An unmarked police vehicle from Toronto hit two individuals on a scooter during a 2024 operation in Whitby. Jon Woodward reports on the concerns raised about the incident.
An Ontario judge has dismissed evidence following a dramatic takedown near a Canadian Tire in Whitby, Ont., where surveillance footage captured an officer abruptly crashing his unmarked car into two people riding a scooter.
Four sets of surveillance videos reveal the pair being thrown off their scooter. The officer then exits his vehicle and pursues one of them through the Garden Centre. Meanwhile, the other man hurriedly tries to retrieve a gun that seems to have fallen from him, only to be struck again by another police car, trapping him between the two vehicles.
In court, it was revealed that this takedown stemmed from a miscommunication over police radio – everything unfolded chaotically – ultimately leading to an assault conviction for the Toronto officer involved.
Evidence tossed Video evidence was dismissed after an incident near a Canadian Tire in Whitby, Ont., where an unmarked police vehicle collided with two individuals riding a scooter.
“I think maybe the cops watch too many crime movies,” remarked former Toronto Mayor John Sewell, who is now affiliated with the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition.
“The cop thought he was doing something reasonable – I mean, maybe he didn’t think at all,” he added.
This all took place on June 25, 2024, when a team of officers from Toronto arrived at a mall plaza featuring Canadian Tire to arrest Trayvon Palmer, who was wanted for breaching his bail conditions.
The team spotted him riding an electric scooter alongside another man named Paul Lewis. At that moment, one officer stated over the radio, “We should block them in and take them right now.”
Const. Joshua Baksh interpreted this as permission to accelerate his unmarked vehicle towards the moving scooter, launching both riders into the air.
Palmer fled while Baksh pursued him through the garden centre. In contrast, Lewis ran in another direction and lost hold of his gun when he was struck by the second vehicle.
Const. Joshua Baksh Const. Joshua Baksh, seen in orange in the video footage, can be observed chasing after the suspects through Canadian Tire’s garden centre.
The video shows Lewis being arrested and paramedics transporting him into an ambulance for hospital care.
He suffered spinal and rib fractures among other injuries, according to his lawyer David Campos. Campos challenged the firearm charges using Canada’s Charter of Rights by arguing that Lewis faced arbitrary and dangerous force along with unlawful detention.
“He was not a suspect; not wanted; not seen committing any crimes,” said Campos. “He should never have had to face being run over by a 4,000-pound vehicle used as a kinetic weapon.”
It turned out that Lewis violated his bail conditions simply by being outside without surety present. The judge discarded the gun evidence effectively clearing Lewis of all charges except failing to comply with bail conditions.
The Crown dropped charges against Palmer afterward. Baksh faced charges brought forth by the Special Investigations Unit and pled guilty to assault.
“As this matter is still before the courts, any internal disciplinary actions will wait until criminal matters are resolved. The officer remains employed at TPS but in a non-public role,” stated Toronto Police Service in their announcement.
Through representation by the Toronto Police Association, Baksh chose not to comment.
Source link
Const. Joshua Baksh Const. Joshua Baksh, seen in orange in the video footage, can be observed chasing after the suspects through Canadian Tire’s garden centre.
The video shows Lewis being arrested and paramedics transporting him into an ambulance for hospital care.
He suffered spinal and rib fractures among other injuries, according to his lawyer David Campos. Campos challenged the firearm charges using Canada’s Charter of Rights by arguing that Lewis faced arbitrary and dangerous force along with unlawful detention.
“He was not a suspect; not wanted; not seen committing any crimes,” said Campos. “He should never have had to face being run over by a 4,000-pound vehicle used as a kinetic weapon.”
It turned out that Lewis violated his bail conditions simply by being outside without surety present. The judge discarded the gun evidence effectively clearing Lewis of all charges except failing to comply with bail conditions.
The Crown dropped charges against Palmer afterward. Baksh faced charges brought forth by the Special Investigations Unit and pled guilty to assault.
“As this matter is still before the courts, any internal disciplinary actions will wait until criminal matters are resolved. The officer remains employed at TPS but in a non-public role,” stated Toronto Police Service in their announcement.
Through representation by the Toronto Police Association, Baksh chose not to comment.
Source link
