Police watchdog clears officer who tackled Toronto cyclist after ignoring stop sign
In late May, as Toronto police officers were handing out tickets to cyclists who failed to stop by Little Norway Park, one cyclist was tackled by police after he failed to stop.
Ontario’s police watchdog has cleared a Toronto officer who tackled a cyclist who ignored a stop sign, revealing the cyclist sustained a mild traumatic brain injury during the incident. In late May, Toronto police were issuing tickets to cyclists who failed to stop at Little Norway Park, near Bathurst Street and Queens Quay, when one cyclist was tackled by police after he failed to stop.
A video of the arrest showed the cyclist being tackled to the ground and restrained by multiple officers, with the cyclist complaining of pain. Cycling lawyer Dave Shellnutt stated that officers are not supposed to use force when issuing Highway Traffic Act tickets. However, several months later, the director of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) concluded that the 21-year-old cyclist "attempted to evade the officer by cycling around him" and "rendered himself subject to arrest."
The investigation could not determine whether an officer attempted to grab the man's backpack or pushed him off his bike, but it found that the cyclist had significantly slowed down when the officer stepped out in front of him, leading to the arrest. The SIU report stated that the risk of injury was moderate, as the man had slowed down before being wrestled to the ground. He later sought medical care and was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury.
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