A man is facing charges after an officer was assaulted in the midst of a march through downtown Winnipeg on Monday night, said police.  

The march was held to mark the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement, held in cities across North America.

Police say an officer was trying to arrest a man believed to be the leader of the march because protestors didn’t have a permit, which meant they were walking without an escort to keep them out of harm’s way.

A total of 13 cruiser cars were dispatched.

“Officers indicated or believed they required assistance because they were being swarmed and they did call for back up which brought more officers to the scene,” said Patrol Sgt. Wally Antoniuk from the Winnipeg Police Service.

Police said as a result, the man they had in custody escaped and as officers began to arrest a second man, he went into distress and had to be taken to hospital.

“He went into convulsions. There was talk he may have been tasered – I don’t think anybody saw the Taser but he was handcuffed and then the next thing you know, he was on the ground in convulsions,” said Harold Shuster from Occupy Winnipeg.

Shuster said the man had a panic attack and has since been released from hospital.

Police said an electronic control device was not used.

Shuster questions the heavy police presence at the event.

“Was it illegal? Perhaps - but did it require the arrest of anybody and 13 cars to escort us?  Absolutely not,” said Shuster.

Police said officers were only sent to the march because the 100 or so participants in the march were putting themselves at risk. Some protestors said they don’t believe that, suggesting if safety was really the main concern, police could have volunteered to escort the group rather than sending 13 cruiser cars for an arrest.

A 20-year-old man is facing charges of assaulting a peace officer and obstructing a peace officer, said police.