The Winnipeg Police Service says that a video circulating online does not share the whole story of a dangerous incident that occurred yesterday morning.

A 15-second clip that is causing controversy is being given more context from the Winnipeg Police Service. 

take the man into custody, which can be seen in a newly-released video. A previously-circulated clip showed a blurry video, making it difficult to determine what happened. The WPS is deciding to release a clearer, longer video to show what led up to the events.

Constable Jay Shaw is sharing what led up to the arrest and what can be seen in the video. In an earlier clip that was being circulated, an officer is seen kicking a man in an unknown area. Clarifying the incident, Shaw says they were kicks to the shoulder.

Shaw explains this was done to avoid the use of lethal force.

"That kick likely saved his life," Shaw says.

Shaw says that the kicks in the video dislodged a knife that the police noticed, preventing the man from possibly using it, escalating the situation further.

"It is something that we train for if we can use it to deescalate a situation," Shaw says.

The Winnipeg Police Service says the use of force is extremely rare and that the WPS is proud to have low instances of the use of force. Shaw says 99.76 per cent of all interactions with the police do not result in the use force.

While they do have low statistics in this particular area, Shaw says they are working to improve it.

"There is always room for improvement," he says. "Our goal is to bring the use of force number to zero." 

Shaw is encouraging Winnipeggers to view the video for themselves to form their own opinion.