London police officer cleared in raid that injured 82-year-old man

The province’s police watchdog has cleared a London police officer in connection with an injury suffered by an 82-year-old man during a raid of an apartment in Toronto last year.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says the 82-year-old man wasn’t the target of the search warrant. Officials said the joint operation between Toronto and London police was aimed at a member of the Driftwood Crips, a well known and dangerous gang, who was believed to live at the address.

The elderly man was left with injuries to his cheekbone and jaw.

Investigation showed the 82-year-old heard the commotion as police entered the home around 5 a.m. on June 15, 2017. Officers reported they called out repeatedly, identifying themselves as police officers and said they had a search warrant. Two distraction devices, also known as flash bangs, were used and filled the space with smoke.

The elderly man alleged he was sitting on his bed when officers entered his room and one ran towards him. He said he was “struck and felt a pressure.”

The SIU report said the man described the contact as either being physically struck or being touched by the police officer. He then went in and out of consciousness and had no further recollection of the incident.

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The officer’s account of the incident was different, and said the man appeared in the hallway of the home’s second floor with his arms extended in front of him. Visibility was poor because of the smoke and the man was ordered to get down on the floor and the officer identified himself as a police officer.

The officer said the man’s fingers were close to him and he “appeared assaultive and was obstructing his movements.” The officer delivered a palm strike to the man’s face to put some distance between them, hitting his right cheek. The man fell to the floor and the officer said he could then see his hands and determine he was no longer a threat.

When the smoke cleared, the officer said he realized the man was elderly and his daughter, who was sitting on the floor nearby, told him he suffered from a medical condition. The officer said he helped bring the man back to his bed and then saw his cheek was swollen and that there was blood on the floor where he’d fallen. The officer then helped to bring him downstairs and outside.

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The SIU reported it accepted the man believed he was hit while in his bed, but evidence from other officers on scene and the man’s daughter was consistent with the London officer’s account.

“I find that he must have been confused by the chaos,” wrote the Director of the SIU Tony Loparco in the report.

At the end of his findings, Loparco said even though the man was injured either from being hit or his fall, the officer “used no more force than was reasonably necessary in the execution of his lawful duties in a fast-paced, chaotic, and potentially dangerous situation.”