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
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.