The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has announced that no charges will be filed against a Toronto police officer who was involved in a confrontation with a cyclist on Queens Quay earlier this year.
SIU Director Joseph Martino stated on Tuesday that there were no grounds to believe the officer had committed a criminal offense related to the injury of a 21-year-old cyclist during the incident in question. The confrontation, which was captured on video and widely circulated online, took place on May 31 near Little Norway Crescent as police were enforcing stop sign regulations.
The video, shared by cycling advocate and personal injury lawyer David Shellnutt, depicted two officers forcefully subduing the cyclist while onlookers reacted with surprise. The cyclist can be heard questioning the officers about his actions, to which he was told he had failed to stop at the sign.
According to the SIU report, the cyclist attempted to evade the officer by cycling around him after passing through the intersection without stopping and making derogatory remarks towards the police. The officer intervened by trying to make contact with the cyclist’s backpack, causing him to lose control and fall over.
The report detailed that there was uncertainty regarding the officer’s intent when reaching for the backpack, whether to grab hold of the cyclist or to push him off the bike. Despite the risk of injury during physical engagement, the report noted that the officer had legitimate concerns about the cyclist attempting to escape.
Following the incident, the cyclist was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury. This altercation occurred during Toronto’s peak cycling season and reignited discussions about the city’s enforcement of traffic laws along the waterfront trail.
