Kelowna RCMP officer Const. Lacy Browning pleaded guilty to one count of assault on what was supposed to be the first day of her trial Monday. Browning is accused of punching Mona Wang and dragging the University of British Columbia student from her apartment in January 2020 after Wang’s boyfriend called the police asking them to check on her. Wang said Tuesday she was glad justice had prevailed. “Throughout this time, I’ve really had to advocate for myself, and I know I’m really privileged to be able to have my voice heard like this,” she said. “And unfortunately, many people who have gone through the same thing will never be able to get the justice they deserve.” Surveillance video taken from inside an apartment building, which was released as part of a civil lawsuit filed by Wang, shows the RCMP officer dragging Wang by the arms face down along a carpeted hallway and then stomping on her head her in the lobby. Statements of defense filed in the civil action by Browning, the Attorney General of Canada and BC’s solicitor general denied any wrongdoing, saying the officer did not use more force than was reasonable and necessary. The civil suit was settled out of court and the details remain confidential. Wang said she believes Browning should be fired from the RCMP. “Ever since I experienced that attack, it has always been my goal that she not be allowed to hurt anyone else,” he said. In a statement, BC RCMP spokesperson Dawn Roberts said Browning is on administrative duties. RCMP are aware of her guilty plea and are awaiting the judge’s sentence, he said. A separate internal code of conduct investigation “remains ongoing and is nearing completion,” Roberts said. In the years since the attack, Wang said she got the help she needed, graduated from her nursing program and now works as a psychiatric registered nurse. She said her work is rewarding and her personal experience with mental illness and the police has influenced how she is with patients. “I think a lot of times, they’re often abused, either with the political system or with the police,” he said. “I think that after this personal experience with the police, I can recognize a lot of the trauma and PTSD that comes from my patients’ experiences with the police.” Wang said she wants people to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness and be “active bystanders” if they see a fight with police, recording or speaking up about what they see. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 8, 2022.
