One of three Calgary police officers accused of assaulting a man during an arrest last year says he thought he was in the fight of his life at the time.
Constables James Othen, Kevin Humfrey and Michael Sandalack have all pleaded not guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
They are accused of beating up Clayton Prince after the car he was driving was pulled over on July 30, 2016.
The provincial body that probes serious police actions said Prince sustained broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a facial laceration and significant bruising.
Othen told court Monday that his adrenaline was pumping when he heard over the radio that one of his colleagues was chasing Prince through a sushi restaurant.
Defence lawyer Alain Hepner asked him to describe his past experiences patrolling a part of Calgary’s downtown frequented by many drug users.
Othen replied that he had found himself in more than 10 foot chases over the years and said that’s the most stressful situation an officer can encounter.
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“Your stress level is through the roof because of the unknown,” Othen said, adding in such cases it’s possible the suspect has a weapon or is intoxicated.
He recalled arriving outside a jewelry store close to the sushi restaurant and then seeing another officer with his gun drawn.
Othen said at one point, Prince started to move toward officers.
“My stress is at an all-time high. I think I will be in the fight of my life,” Othen testified.
“I was like, ‘holy smokes’ in my head, going ‘here we go, this is going to be the fight.”’
Othen said as officers tried to arrest Prince, the suspect was positioning his hands in such a way that it would have been difficult to handcuff him. He said he remembered kneeing Prince in the upper thigh and punching him four to six times in the head.
WATCH: Calgary police assault trial hears suspect Clayton Prince was not combative
He said it wasn’t until after he saw footage captured from a police vehicle dashcam that his recollection may have differed from what actually occurred.
He said it was possible he started engaging with Prince just as the subject was in the process of being subdued.
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