RCMP seek 2 men who might have seen student being dragged by Mountie

Investigators are looking for two men who were in the lobby of a Kelowna, B.C., apartment building the night an RCMP officerdragged a university student and stepped on her head during a wellness check in January.

The men were seen walking into the apartment building on Academy Way around 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 20, according to a statement from Mounties on Wednesday.

The first man walkedup the stairs on the rightside of the lobby, while the other went left after entering the building through the glass doors.

"Despite significant efforts, police have not yet been able to identify the two men," the statement said Wednesday.

The same night, surveillance video captured an RCMP officer dragging Mona Wang, 20,down a hallway and then stepping on her head. The officer, Const. Lacy Browning, was responding to a wellness check at Wang's apartment.

WATCH | Surveillance footage from the apartment block hallway and lobby:

Surveillance video shows RCMP officer dragging and stepping on woman after wellness check

4 years ago

Duration 1:37

RCMP officer drags student down a hallway and then steps on her head after detaining the woman during a wellness check.

The statement Wednesday said police are looking for the two men on the surveillance tapeas potential witnesses. The men are visible on surveillance footage from the lobbyas Wang is dragged acrossthe floor, but not when her head is stepped on.

The first man, who went up the stairs,is described as having light hair and a clean-shaven face. He was wearing a jacket, possibly green, and blue jeans.

The second man, who went left, is described as havingdark hair and facial hair. He was wearing a dark winterjacketwith an orange-lined hood and a dark backpack.

RCMP have asked the men, or anyone who knows them, tocall (250) 491-5362.

The RCMP launched a criminal investigation into the incident earlier this year. They sent their findings to Abbotsford police for an external review, butthe police department sent the file back to RCMPshortly after, saying more investigating needed to be done.

Officers in the RCMP's Southeast Districtare in the midst of that second attempt.

"We are conducting the necessary follow-up," Sgt. Janelle Shoihet, a senior media relations officer with the RCMP, told CBC News on Aug. 31. "It is important that any reviews be thorough and complete and as such will take variable amounts of time."

Wang, a nursing student at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus, filed a lawsuit againstConst. Browning and the RCMPin March claimingphysical and emotional abuse.RCMP have also launched an internal code of conduct investigation into Browning's conduct.

The officer has disputed Wang's claim. None of the allegationshavebeen proven in court.

The case is among several recent incidents involving the RCMPand wellness checks, renewing advocates concerns about the practice and whether police are best to respond to cases around mental health.In July, the independent watchdog for the RCMPreleased a statement saying it frequentlyhas concerns about Mounties' "unreasonable use of force"during mental health wellness calls.