A police officer was choked by a young man during an early-morning arrest in east Edmonton on Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred at 12:30 a.m. as two officers were responding to a call about a vehicle knocking down construction pylons in the area of 106th Avenue and 50th Street. They also found a group of youths in a nearby park.

When they arrived, the officers tried to deal with an 18-year-old they suspected was intoxicated. Police say he became combative when officers tried to arrest him for being intoxicated in a public place.

During the subsequent struggle, the teen choked one of the officers to the point it caused breathing problems, police said. Other teens who were in the nearby park then surrounded the two officers. The second officer kept ordering them away and had to physically move some of them.

The 18-year-old was arrested after officers were able to subdue him with a stun gun. He suffered no apparent injuries, police said. The officer who was choked was treated in hospital and released.

The young man was charged with assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest. A male youth, 15, has been charged with assaulting a peace officer, obstruction and possession of a prohibited weapon (brass knuckles). Another male, 16, is charged with obstruction and assaulting a peace officer.