Barrie police officer charged following violent arrest caught on video

The Barrie police officer who was caught on video using excessive force while arresting a young skateboarder back in February is now facing assault charges following an investigation into the incident. 

The video, captured by witness Zaria Valyear and shared widely on social media earlier this year, shows Const. Jason Stamp kneeling on top of 20-year-old Skyler Kent after pulling him over for blowing through a red light on his skateboard.

The disturbing clip shows the officer hitting the young man in the head with the butt of a taser and smashing his head into the pavement while bystanders try to intervene and the skateboarder yells in agony, begging him to stop.

Hey, @BarriePolice. You might want to take this fucking goof’s badge away. While you’re ‘looking into this’, I’m going to make him famous. pic.twitter.com/djs19exXBy

— Dean Blundell (@ItsDeanBlundell) February 5, 2021

"On Thursday, February 4, 2021, the Barrie Police Service was made aware of a video that was posted to social media that showed an arrest made by a uniformed officer with the Barrie Police Service that took place on Dunlop Street East earlier that day," Barrie Police said in a news release this week.

"Concerned by the images captured in the video and the need for transparency in our community, Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood promptly requested the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances that lead to the arrest, as well as the conduct of the involved officer."

The OPP Professional Standards Unit then undertook an investigation, and it concluded with Stamp being arrested and charged with Assault and Assault with a Weapon on April 29.

"The need for transparency in policing is critical," said Chief Greenwood in a statement. "The Barrie Police Service holds all its members to the highest level of professionalism. I thank the OPP for conducting a thorough and detailed investigation."

The 18-year member of the service has been suspended from duty with pay, and he's scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie on June 7.