SIU Investigating 14 Cops For Controversial G20 Arrest

The province’s Special Investigations Unit is looking at 14 Toronto police officers as it probes the controversial arrest of a protester during the G20 summit.

The identities of the officers, who remain on the job, were provided to the SIU on Thursday by investigators with Toronto police, said police spokesman Mark Pugash.

Under the headline “This help, Chief?” the Toronto Star on Wednesday ran front-page pictures of the officer it said beat protester Adam Nobody as well as two female officers it said were with the male officer.

The images generated a lot of publicity, said Pugash.

Toronto police investigators looked at the pictures and within 24 hours had come up with a list of names, he said.

“We’ve identified 14 officers who were in the area. Their details have been passed on to the Special Investigations Unit who will look at whether criminal charges are appropriate,” said Pugash.

The Toronto Police Service is conducting its own internal investigation to determine whether there are any disciplinary infractions under the Police Services Act.

If convicted under the Act, the maximum penalty an officer could receive would be to lose his job, said Pugash.

Nobody, 27, suffered a facial fracture below his right eye during his June 26 arrest at a demonstration at the Ontario legislature.

Police had ordered demonstrators to move back and Nobody began to run away. He was knocked to the ground by an officer in riot gear and arrested, the SIU has said.

Video of the takedown, posted on YouTube and viewed by more than 34,000 people as of Thursday afternoon, shows a chaotic scene. Several officers are seen holding the man down as the crowd, many of them running, can be heard yelling and booing.

Last month, the SIU said the video showed an officer moving in a striking motion toward Nobody’s upper area of either his body or head with a closed fist. But it said it couldn’t identify the officer because the video was taken from too far away. It closed the case.

But the civilian agency reopened its probe last week, a day after Toronto police Chief Bill Blair ripped into the SIU.

Blair claimed the video had been tampered with because about five seconds of video and audio was missing.

The SIU said it had received a sworn statement from the man who shot the video _ John Bridge — that it had not been edited, and Blair later apologized.

Pugash didn’t release the names of the officers to the public. He was quick to point out the officers haven’t been formally accused of anything.

SIU spokesman Frank Phillips confirmed the unit received the names of the officers.

“We’ll be looking into what, if any, their involvement was in this Adam Nobody case we’ve reopened,” said Phillips.

The SIU has also received new information from civilian witnesses it will follow up, said Phillips.

The agency will take “as long as it takes to do a thorough, complete, impartial and unbiased investigation,” said Phillips.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.

Video of the arrest can be found on YouTube.