The Halifax Board of Police Commissioners was briefed Monday in a closed-door meeting about an incident that occurred at Walmart last week

The Halifax Board of Police Commissioners was briefed Monday in a closed-door meeting about an incident that occurred at Walmart last week.

The incident involved a woman who alleges she was racially profiled.

Last week, Santina Rao took to Facebook to say she was shopping at the Mumford Road store with her two children when she was approached by police about a possible theft.

The situation escalated and the post features a photo that shows bruising around Rao's eye.

Halifax Regional Police say the woman was placed under arrest for causing a disturbance and allege she resisted arrest and assaulted one of the officers.

Speaking to reporters after Monday's meeting, Police Chief Dan Kinsella says his department is taking the matter seriously.

"This is an unfortunate incident, whenever an incident like this occurs, it's unfortunate," Kinsella said.

"As a result of the information that I do know, I have referred the matter to SiRT," he added. "We need to wait, we need to respect the process, we need to gather all the evidence then make an informed decision based on the appropriate investigation."

Rao has been charged with causing a disturbance, assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest.

When asked if those charges could be dropped, Kinsella said that's for the Crown to decide.