Shocking video of a Kelowna Mountie kicking a suspect in the face has spurred a protest calling for assault charges against the officer involved.
The event is set to begin Sunday at noon at Kelowna City Park. Participants will then march to Doyle Street, where the protest will continue outside a local RCMP detachment.
RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon held a pre-emptive press conference Saturday calling for a calm, civil demonstration.
"I have read the comments in various blogs that civil disobedience may erupt and that does concern me," McKinnon said.
More than 850 Facebook users were invited to the rally but less than 100 had confirmed their attendance by Saturday afternoon.
The protest follows a week of public outrage over footage depicting the arrest of Buddy Tavares on Jan. 7.
Mounties pulled over Tavares' truck while responding to reports of shots fired at the Harvest Golf Club. The video shows Tavares kneeling on the street when an officer winds up and kicks him in the face.
When an officer rolls him over, his face is covered in blood and there appears to be a pool of blood where he was lying.
Const. Geoff Mantler has been suspended from duty with pay. Abbotsford police are probing the incident to determine whether Mantler will be criminally charged.
McKinnon said investigators arrived in Kelowna on Tuesday and are "making headway."
"I was informed that they have approximately 40 witnesses to interview and have brought in three more investigators to expedite the investigation," McKinnon said.
"We realize the processes are not moving as quickly as most people would like, but everyone must understand that the processes must be followed and the processes are legislated in the RCMP Act."
McKinnon addressed concerns that the officer is still receiving pay, saying "stoppage of pay will only be in extreme circumstances when it would be inappropriate to pay a member."
Tavares' friend Al Body told CTV News he is on disability leave from his job at the golf course, where one of his duties was to scare off geese with a shotgun.
Mounties say Tavares did not have permission to be on the grounds of the golf course and had no permit to use a firearm or noisemaker to scare geese.
Tavares, who has no criminal record, appeared in court Monday on charges of careless use of a firearm.
