Charges against an Edmonton teen arrested during a break-in will no longer proceed after a judge found “disturbing” misconduct on the part of the police officers who arrested him — including excessive force, threatening to shoot the 13-year-old and mocking him when he began to cry. Justice Julie Lloyd of the Alberta Court of Justice directed a stay of proceedings last month in the case of SHC, an Indigenous youth charged with three offences including two counts of break and enter. SHC, whose name is anonymized under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, admitted to a series of break-ins on two nights in 2024. On the second night, he was cornered by two Edmonton police officers and initially tried to run before surrendering. The arresting officers, including Const. Dylan Awid, were captured on security footage swearing at SHC, pointing a Taser and a handgun at him after he surrendered, and, in Awid’s case, dropping his knee onto SHC’s back while he lay passively on the ground. Lloyd said there was no reason for either officer to use the force they did after SHC followed their instructions. “There were multiple uses of force that were excessive and Const. Awid’s conduct was motivated at least in part by anger and malice,” she wrote . “Condoning or seeming to condone serious police misconduct by continuing with a trial, verdict and sentence would cause particularly grave harm to the integrity of the justice system.” Awid was previously charged with assault for shoving a handcuffed suspect’s head into a wall in 2019. The charges were ultimately stayed and he received a reprimand in 2025 after admitting he used excessive force in an “emotionally charged situation.” Edmonton police declined to comment on the SHC case. Postmedia requested video of the arrest but did not hear back by press time. ‘Quite disturbing’ SHC broke into an Edmonton home after dark on Aug. 26, 2024. After finding the back door unlocked, he stole a backpack, a GPS unit, a set of keys and several hundred dollars worth of liquor. The home’s occupant found the mess the next morning and made a plan with his neighbour to catch the thief in the act. SHC returned early the next morning but was unable to steal anything because the resident locked an interior door. The resident called 911 as SHC moved to the neighbour’s property, where he tried and failed to open the back gate. At a third property, SHC attempted to open the garage, then began trying doors on the house. Awid and his partner, Const. Ryan Sanderson, arrived and found the two residents, who directed them to the suspect. SHC tried to escape but soon gave up and walked toward the officers with his hands up. “There’s a f—ing gun pointed at your head, man,” said Awid, who continued to aim his Taser at SHC after he lowered himself to the ground. “Don’t f—ing move.” Awid continued to swear at SHC, grabbing his arms then dropping his weight onto his back as SHC yells in pain. One of the officers wrenched SHC’s arms as they placed him in handcuffs. Lloyd said SHC weighed around 100 pounds and was four-foot-11at the time of the arrest. “He was not acting in a way that was violent or aggressive,” she said. “There was no weapon visible. It was quite disturbing to watch the light of the Taser beam directed to the suspect’s head and chest.” Once in the police car, SHC said the officers laughed at him when he started to cry. “He said that one of the officers told him that if he had broken into his house the officer would have put some ‘lead in (his) head,'” Lloyd wrote. ‘Intended to menace’ Awid testified he had been told the suspect was six feet tall and had a knife. He believed SHC was a “high level active resister” given his attempt to flee. He did not believe he used excessive force. Lloyd said it was reasonable for the officers to initially unholster their weapons. Once SHC surrendered, however, the continued presence of the weapons, coupled with the threats and physical force, crossed a line. “Const. Awid yells, uses obscenities and issues threats from very early in his engagement with Mr. SHC,” she said. “The constable’s tone is clearly angry. He continues to yell, to issue threats and obscenities even after the suspect has visibly surrendered and was following direction.” The video made clear, she added, “that Const. Awid intended to menace, frighten and injure Mr. SHC regardless of the circumstances.” Directing an end to the prosecution was the only way to “dissociate the justice system from the police misconduct,” she said. Susan Haas, SHC’s Legal Aid Alberta lawyer, was relieved Lloyd decided to stay the charges, calling the police conduct “pretty appalling.” She said her client was struggling with substance use and mental health issues stemming from the loss of a family member. Since his arrest, “he sort of did everything you could possibly want a young person to do,” Haas said. “He got into addictions counselling right away. He got onto the right medication.” Haas said her client once wanted to be a police officer, but now fears the police. “The physical injuries, fortunately, aren’t permanent or grievous in this instance, but the psychological impact is pretty lasting,” she said. [email protected] x.com/jonnywakefield @jonnywakefield.bsky.social Related'Heat of the moment': Edmonton police officer reprimanded for shoving car chase suspect's head into wallEdmonton police officer handed $2,000 fine for assaulting Indigenous man, avoids jail time Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Charges against an Edmonton teen arrested during a break-in will no longer proceed after a judge found “disturbing” misconduct on the part of the police officers who arrested him — including excessive force, threatening to shoot the 13-year-old and mocking him when he began to cry.
Justice Julie Lloyd of the Alberta Court of Justice directed a stay of proceedings last month in the case of SHC, an Indigenous youth charged with three offences including two counts of break and enter.
SHC, whose name is anonymized under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, admitted to a series of break-ins on two nights in 2024. On the second night, he was cornered by two Edmonton police officers and initially tried to run before surrendering.
The arresting officers, including Const. Dylan Awid, were captured on security footage swearing at SHC, pointing a Taser and a handgun at him after he surrendered, and, in Awid’s case, dropping his knee onto SHC’s back while he lay passively on the ground.
Lloyd said there was no reason for either officer to use the force they did after SHC followed their instructions.
“There were multiple uses of force that were excessive and Const. Awid’s conduct was motivated at least in part by anger and malice,” she wrote .
“Condoning or seeming to condone serious police misconduct by continuing with a trial, verdict and sentence would cause particularly grave harm to the integrity of the justice system.”
Awid was previously charged with assault for shoving a handcuffed suspect’s head into a wall in 2019. The charges were ultimately stayed and he received a reprimand in 2025 after admitting he used excessive force in an “emotionally charged situation.”
Edmonton police declined to comment on the SHC case. Postmedia requested video of the arrest but did not hear back by press time.
‘Quite disturbing’
SHC broke into an Edmonton home after dark on Aug. 26, 2024. After finding the back door unlocked, he stole a backpack, a GPS unit, a set of keys and several hundred dollars worth of liquor. The home’s occupant found the mess the next morning and made a plan with his neighbour to catch the thief in the act.
SHC returned early the next morning but was unable to steal anything because the resident locked an interior door. The resident called 911 as SHC moved to the neighbour’s property, where he tried and failed to open the back gate. At a third property, SHC attempted to open the garage, then began trying doors on the house.
Awid and his partner, Const. Ryan Sanderson, arrived and found the two residents, who directed them to the suspect. SHC tried to escape but soon gave up and walked toward the officers with his hands up.
“There’s a f—ing gun pointed at your head, man,” said Awid, who continued to aim his Taser at SHC after he lowered himself to the ground. “Don’t f—ing move.”
Awid continued to swear at SHC, grabbing his arms then dropping his weight onto his back as SHC yells in pain. One of the officers wrenched SHC’s arms as they placed him in handcuffs.
Lloyd said SHC weighed around 100 pounds and was four-foot-11at the time of the arrest.
“He was not acting in a way that was violent or aggressive,” she said. “There was no weapon visible. It was quite disturbing to watch the light of the Taser beam directed to the suspect’s head and chest.”
Once in the police car, SHC said the officers laughed at him when he started to cry. “He said that one of the officers told him that if he had broken into his house the officer would have put some ‘lead in (his) head,'” Lloyd wrote.
‘Intended to menace’
Awid testified he had been told the suspect was six feet tall and had a knife. He believed SHC was a “high level active resister” given his attempt to flee. He did not believe he used excessive force.
Lloyd said it was reasonable for the officers to initially unholster their weapons. Once SHC surrendered, however, the continued presence of the weapons, coupled with the threats and physical force, crossed a line.
“Const. Awid yells, uses obscenities and issues threats from very early in his engagement with Mr. SHC,” she said. “The constable’s tone is clearly angry. He continues to yell, to issue threats and obscenities even after the suspect has visibly surrendered and was following direction.”
The video made clear, she added, “that Const. Awid intended to menace, frighten and injure Mr. SHC regardless of the circumstances.” Directing an end to the prosecution was the only way to “dissociate the justice system from the police misconduct,” she said.
Susan Haas, SHC’s Legal Aid Alberta lawyer, was relieved Lloyd decided to stay the charges, calling the police conduct “pretty appalling.” She said her client was struggling with substance use and mental health issues stemming from the loss of a family member.
Since his arrest, “he sort of did everything you could possibly want a young person to do,” Haas said. “He got into addictions counselling right away. He got onto the right medication.”
Haas said her client once wanted to be a police officer, but now fears the police.
“The physical injuries, fortunately, aren’t permanent or grievous in this instance, but the psychological impact is pretty lasting,” she said.
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