TERRACE, B.C. – Skeena News is updating its coverage of the November 1 incident at the Best Western Terrace Inn following the circulation of eyewitness video that appears to directly contradict the official account provided by the Terrace RCMP.
The original report, based on the RCMP’s November 4 press release, described an escalation where a woman allegedly resisted arrest and “fell to the landing” during a struggle with officers. However, the widely shared public video has presented a significantly different sequence of events, supporting allegations of excessive force.
What the Video Appears to Show
Skeena News is publishing the widely shared video footage as essential public evidence. The footage appears to show an older Indigenous woman being pulled from a stairwell landing, forcefully pushed or dragged to the floor, pinned face down by one officer, and aggressively handcuffed by multiple officers.
This video evidence supports allegations made by those arrested and witnesses that officers used excessive, unnecessary force and unduly escalated a welfare check—which began as assisting an intoxicated woman refusing to leave—into a mass arrest event involving six people.
The situation now involves two distinct and heavily conflicting accounts that our news organization is investigating:
| Official RCMP Account (Press Release) | Witness/Victim Account (Video Evidence) |
| Officers were flagged down for an intoxicated woman refusing to leave a fundraising event at 1:30 AM on Nov. 1. | The incident involved five Indigenous women, including Kitselas First Nation matriarch Lynn Wright-Parker. |
| A second woman allegedly initiated physical contact by attempting to grab an officer’s duty belt. | The escalation was a failure of de-escalation by police, resulting in violent arrest and alleged denial of medical care. |
| The woman allegedly resisted arrest, causing her and the officers to fall to the landing. | The video shows an older woman being forcefully pinned and handcuffed on the floor by multiple officers. |
| Six patrons were arrested; one officer sustained minor injuries, and one patron was treated for shoulder pain. | The name patches on the front of some officers’ vests appeared to be covered, raising concerns about identification and conduct. |
Investigation and Accountability Pathways
The actions documented in the video are now subject to scrutiny via established accountability processes in British Columbia:
- CRCC Complaint: Witnesses have confirmed that they have filed a formal complaint with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for the RCMP. The CRCC is the federal body mandated to investigate complaints concerning the conduct of on-duty RCMP members, including allegations of excessive force and adherence to policy.
- Systemic Context: Given that one of the arrested individuals is from Kitselas First Nation, this incident will be examined within the established context of systemic issues regarding the disproportionate policing and treatment of Indigenous persons in British Columbia.
- Charge Review: While the RCMP prepares a Report to Crown Counsel (RCC) for charge assessment against the six arrested patrons, the video evidence could lead to an independent review of officer conduct by the BC Prosecution Service.
Call for Evidence and Confidentiality Guarantee
To ensure we can provide the most accurate and complete account of the incident, we urge any individual who witnessed the event at the Best Western Terrace Inn on Greig Avenue around 1:30 AM on November 1, 2025, to come forward with any information, photos, or unedited video.
Please submit all evidence to: editor@skeenanews.ca
We guarantee that the identity of all sources who request confidentiality will be protected as we pursue the full facts of this critical story.
