Alan Ruel (pictured) was left in a cell for 18 hours when officers assumed he was drunk
Horrifying surveillance footage has emerged of cops mistaking a stroke victim for being drunk and dumping him in a concrete cell for more than 18 hours before finally calling an ambulance the following day.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) left Alan Ruel, 73, in a jail cell in Canada for 18 hours and 18 minutes, because they assumed he was drunk, according to lawyers.
Officers also failed to check on him at all for 12 hours as his health continued to decline – despite policies saying that officers must check on cells every 15 minutes.
Ruel is now suing police for more than C$6 million over the incident, which left him with lasting brain damage.
The ordeal began on July 16 2015 when Ruel, from Alberta, Canada, suffered a small ‘disorienting event,’ likely a stroke, the lawsuit states.
He entered a bar to visit his friend and due to the probable stroke, his speech was slurred, he was confused, his clothing was dishevelled, his pants undone and his vehicle was parked on the sidewalk.
Bar staff assumed Ruel was drunk and kicked him out and called the police, the suit states.
Ruel claims that when officers arrived on the scene he told them he wasn’t drunk and asked for a breathalyzer test but they denied him one, saying they could smell alcohol on his breath.
The 73-year-old said he hadn’t even had a drink.
The ordeal began on July 16 2015 when Ruel, from Alberta, Canada, suffered a small ‘disorienting event,’ likely a stroke, the lawsuit states. He was arrested when officers thought he was drunk and put in a cell
At the time of his arrest, the footage shows he was able to walk around the cell
Officers failed to check on him for another 12 hours, during which time Ruel had collapsed on the floor several times, the footage shows
Shocking surveillance footage obtained by CBC then shows Ruel being dumped in a jail cell just before 7 pm that night.
At the time of his arrest, the footage shows he was able to walk around the cell.
Officers failed to check on him for another 12 hours, during which time Ruel had collapsed on the floor several times, the footage shows.
A neurologist said he believes Ruel had a massive stroke at around 10 pm that evening – several hours before he received medical help.
A neurologist said he believes Ruel had a massive stroke at around 10 pm that evening – several hours before he received medical help
Ruel is seen slumped against the wall
‘I actually thought I was going to die at one point, and the thing that scared me is that I was going to die alone,’ Ruel said
The footage then shows the man’s condition deteriorating further
At one point, the 73-year-old is seen dragging himself to the door and banging on it. Ruel said he had been calling out to the guard begging for a glass of water
The footage then shows the man’s condition deteriorating further, with Ruel seen lying half naked on the floor with one side of his body twitching.
At one point, the 73-year-old is seen dragging himself to the door and banging on it.
Ruel said he had been calling out to the guard begging for a glass of water.
He was never given any water the whole time he was incarcerated, judging by the footage.
Five hours after officers first checked on Ruel, an officer is then seen entering the cell to check on him at around noon the day after his arrest.
The shocking footage shows the man is by now lying motionless on the concrete floor.
Ruel is seen lying half-naked and motionless on the floor the next morning
Three hours later, he has not moved from the position
The officer attempts to lift Ruel’s arm and drag him up off the floor but the man’s condition had deteriorated to the extent that he couldn’t stand.
Another hour later – and 18 hours and 18 minutes since Ruel was first thrown in the cell – he is finally taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Court documents state that guards were instructed to check on Ruel at least once every 15 minutes.
Ruel, a former offshore drilling consultant, told CBC it was ‘probably one of the worst days of my life’.
‘I actually thought I was going to die at one point, and the thing that scared me is that I was going to die alone,’ he said.
Ruel’s ordeal follows another incident at RMCP in 2008 where officers believed an inmate to be drunk before he died of acute pneumonia.
Footage emerged of Raymond Silverfox, 43, being mocked by officers as he vomited multiple times while being locked in a cell for 13 hours.
Its shows the man’s condition declining as the hours went on but again officers assumed he was drunk and didn’t seek medical help until it was too late.
Five hours after officers first checked on Ruel and 17 since he is first put in the cell, an officer enters the cell to check on him
The shocking footage shows the man is by now lying motionless on the concrete floor. The officer attempts to lift Ruel’s arm and drag him up off the floor but the man’s condition had deteriorated to the extent that he couldn’t stand
An ambulance is finally called and another hour later – and 18 hours and 18 minutes since Ruel was first thrown in the cell – he is finally taken to hospital for medical treatment
Court documents state that guards were instructed to check on Ruel at least once every 15 minutes
Silverfox was finally rushed to hospital when he was found motionless 13 hours later but died in hospital.
Ruel is now suing the police after authorities mistook his symptoms as drunkenness and failed to get him medical help.
The lawsuit states that Ruel still suffer lasting damage four years on from the ordeal, suffering from decreased function in the left side of his body and walking with a limp.
Earlier medical help and access to water could have reduced the effects of the stroke, the neurologist’s report added.
It claims Ruel cannot work and that he and his wife have been left struggling financially.
Ruel was never charged with a crime following his arrest.
RCMP has denied that officers refused the claimant water and denied that he suffered a medical episode before his arrest, according to court documents.
Officials said there were no ‘obvious signs’ he was in need of medical intervention.