KELOWNA (NEWS1130) – An RCMP officer who was caught on video as he kicked a man in the head surprised a full courtroom in Kelowna by pleading guilty to assault.
    
Cst. Geoff Mantler was expected to testify Wednesday afternoon when his lawyer asked that the not-guilty plea be expunged and changed to guilty.
    
Mantler was charged with assaulting Buddy Tavares in January 2011 while the man was on his hands and knees on a street.
    
Fifty-three-year-old Tavares says he wants to know why Mantler decided to plead guilty after all this time, and that he’s still too angry to forgive the officer.
    
Tavares says he had spent four months recovering from a brain injury from a motorcycle crash when Mantler kicked him.
    
Mantler will be sentenced in January or February.