LONDON, Ont. -- Four charges against a University of Western Ontario student whose violent
arrest was posted to YouTube have been stayed.
The charges against Irnes Zeljkovic were stayed Wednesday when a judge
agreed he should be treated under the Mental Health Act.
Zeljkovic, 22, barricaded himself in a seventh-floor office of the Social
Sciences building at the University of Western Ontario on Oct. 14.
He then approached two campus police officers in what the university called a
"violent manner."
Police later confronted him on the building's main floor. Several campus and
city police officers wrestled with Zeljkovic, striking him at least 35
times.
A witness filmed the confrontation and posted a 90-second clip on YouTube
that has drawn nearly 400,000 viewers.
In the video,Zeljkovic is commanded to "Stop resisting!"
Zeljkovic was charged with mischief, resisting arrest, escaping custody and
assaulting a peace officer.
A lawyer acting for Zeljkovic said academic stress may have played a role in
the incident.
The university hired the former head of the OPP to review the arrest that
sparked protest of police tactics.
