Ontario’s police watchdog has cleared the Toronto officer who tackled a cyclist to the ground after they blew past a stop sign, revealing the cyclist suffered a “mild traumatic brain injury” during the altercation.
In late May, as Toronto police officers were handing out tickets to cyclists who failed to stop by Little Norway Park, near Bathurst Street and Queens Quay, one cyclist was tackled by police after he failed to stop.
A video of the arrest circulated online, appearing to show the cyclist tackled to the ground and then restrained by multiple officers. In the video, he complains he was in pain.
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At the time, cycling lawyer Dave Shellnutt said, “You are not supposed to use force” when giving out Highway Traffic Act tickets.
But several months later, the director of the Special Investigation Unit said the 21-year-old cyclist “attempted to evade the officer by cycling around him” and “rendered himself subject to arrest.”
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The investigation couldn’t conclude whether an officer tried to grab the man’s backpack or pushed him off his bike, adding that the cyclist had slowed down.
“(The investigation) found that the risk of injury was moderate as the man had significantly slowed when the officer stepped out in front of him and wrestled the man to the ground,” a news release from the SIU read.
The cyclist received a ticket.
“He later sought medical care and was diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury,” the report said.
That lawyer is one of those slimy one that makes me glad I didn’t end up going to law school. How do you expect police to enforce the law? Other means to issue tickets after the fact? How? No license plates on bikes and if we want to start requiring plates for bikes, he will be the first to argue against it too!
I feel like taking down cyclists at time myself. But not all cyclists are like that. Just today walking on front street, a bike went pass me on the sidewalk. Another cyclist who was on the road yelled at him to get off the sidewalk. The rule abiding cyclists are just as mad at these losers as us pedestrians.
ACAB, keep spreading lies
We investigated our buddies and found no wrongdoing
I see countless times every day cyclists running lights, running stop signs, not signalling turns, making illegal passes…
If you want to use the roads you need to follow the rules of the road.
As if this is a debate 🤡
Dave Shellnutt needs a reality check. Does he think all drivers can just ignore police because there might be another way of issuing a ticket? No. Cyclists are driving vehicles and need to obey the laws the same as other drivers. They do not deserve special treatment.
Cycle associations keep braying that they want to reduce injuries, yet encourage their members to break the law.
Locally we need to have enforcement of cyclists running red lights, driving the wrong way, and driving in crosswalks.
Good for the police. its about time some of these clowns out there pay the price for their infractions.
Good. I live here. Crossing that street to get to Billy Bishop or to get my streetcar is always a nightmare. Cyclists blow past red lights often across all parts of Queens Quay. That particular bike lane was designed poorly. Its like our planners went out of their way to copy all the bad aspects of San Fran’s Embarcado.