ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Newfoundland and Labrador's police watchdog agency says it has charged an RCMP officer with assault.

The province's serious incident response team, known as SIRT-NL, says the charge stems from its investigation into a June 2 incident at the airport in Stephenville, in western Newfoundland.

A news release says Const. Jeffrey Cormier is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 22.

On June 8, SIRT-NL said it was investigating "a potential serious incident" that occurred when RCMP officers removed someone from a plane at the airport.

The agency has provided few details, but a widely shared video posted to social media on June 2 appears to show three police officers leading a man off a plane at the airport, and then slamming his head into an RCMP vehicle.

The police watchdog says the RCMP asked it to investigate the alleged assault on June 7.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2023.