Video tells story of Black TTC rider's violent arrest, Crown says in officer's assault trial
Warning: This story contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some readers/viewers.
A Toronto judge trying a case where a Toronto police officer is seen on video grabbing a Black TTC rider by the throat within seconds of arriving at a call of a disturbance should use the footage as key evidence he is guilty of assault, a crown lawyer said in court Wednesday.
Roger Shallow told the Ontario Court of Justice that she should place little weight on testimony by other officers responding to the call alongside Detective Christopher Hutchings that the rider, Chase Richards, was aggressive and required the use of police force.
“It’s our position the accused acted shamefully. He betrayed his badge. He betrayed his oath as a police officer, and betrayed the public trust,” Shallow said.
“Indeed after a mere 20 seconds he became impatient with Mr. Richards and frankly decided to give him an ‘attitude adjustment’,” Shallow said, with the young man’s race a factor in the officer’s decision.
“It continued with the accused unnecessarily grounding Mr. Richards to the floor of the bus and needlessly keeping him in a prone position while he was behind his back, and it culminated with the dehumanizing use of Mr. Richards’ body as a foot stool,” he said.
Shallow was speaking in closing arguments in the case, which has received national attention in part because of the concerns of racism in the police force of Canada’s largest city, and the security video taken from the TTC bus that shows much of the incident unfold.
Hutchings’ lawyer argued that the video is not at all the whole story -- and denied that Richards’ race had anything to do with his treatment.
“This is not a case about racial injustice…Trying to make this case the Canadian version of George Floyd is of no assistance to anyone, particularly those who actually really suffer from social injustice,” Brauti told the court.
Brauti described the incident as one where the bus driver had summoned the police to deal with a man on the bus who broke the rules by getting on at the back door, and became unruly and aggressive. Richards was in the midst of committing the act of mischief, and that explains the officer’s actions, Brauti said.
“Mr. Richards did not have force used on his because he was a Black man. Mr. Richards had force used on him because he committed a criminal act,” he said.
The court has heard that Richards, 40, paid his fare as he boarded the back door of the TTC bus on December 13, 2019. A bus driver challenged him, he defends himself verbally, and a video shows the bus going out of service, and Hutchings and his partner, Detective Jason Tanouye arriving.
After 20 seconds, Hutchings appears to grab Richards by the throat, and push him first into a seat and then to the ground.
In a separate video taken in a police car, Richards can be heard talking to two other officers, who tell him he’s being held for causing a disturbance.
“For paying?” Richards responds. “I showed my Presto card. I paid on the bus. I got choked. He physically choked me.” He asks the officer to check the video of the bus — video that is now in Justice Apple Newton-Smith’s hands as she determines whether to convict Hutchings of assault.
The Toronto Police Service has said it investigated and charged Hutchings and suspended him with pay.
This isn’t the end of legal jeopardy for Hutchings — both he and his partner are accused of making a false account of the arrest in their memo books. A separate trial on that is scheduled for next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.