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Toronto police Chief Bill Blair apologized Friday for suggesting a video showing officers rushing at and arresting a protester during June's G20 summit had been deliberately edited.
Blair suggested the video, posted on YouTube, had been tampered with in an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Monday. Blair said forensic officers had found that it was two separate video segments with five seconds missing in between.
John Bridge, who recorded the video, sent a sworn affidavit to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) saying the video was not edited and that he had just turned off his camera for a few seconds as he backed away from advancing police officers.
"My language indicated my belief that this gap may have been deliberate and done with an intent to mislead," Blair said in a news release Friday.
"I wish to make it clear that … there is no evidence to suggest this was done with any intent to mislead. I regret the impression my comments have created."
Blair also apologized to Adam Nobody, 27, the man arrested and injured during the protest at Toronto's Queen's Park, for the suggestion police officers were rushing to arrest an armed criminal and that is why force was used against him.
"I have no evidence that he was armed or violent, and all charges against the injured man have been withdrawn," Blair said.
On Nov. 30, the SIU — a civilian organization that deals with death, injury and sexual assault cases involving the police — reopened its investigation into the arrest, during which Nobody sustained fractures to the face.
The SIU concluded on Nov. 26 that it was probable that excessive force was used in the arrest after talking to the police officers involved and witnesses but that they were unable to identify who was responsible and no charges would be laid.
Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash lashed out at the SIU finding, telling CBC News at the time that the organization's news release did "a very poor job of hiding their disappointment at failing to be able to charge any of the police officers."
"The SIU had a very simple job: their mandate required them to look at six cases — and they looked at those six cases, and they investigated, and in not one of those six cases was there any reason for them to take the case further forward," Pugash said.
The lawyer for Nobody, Julian Falconer, dismissed Blair's comments on the radio.
"I sure hope the chief of police, having made these very serious allegations, has something to back them up," Falconer said.
"You hope this wasn't the rant of an overly defensive police chief."
Officers will be held accountable: Blair
Blair said the police are co-operating fully with ongoing probes by the SIU, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director and the Toronto Police Services Board.
"Police officers will be held accountable where there is evidence of misconduct," Blair said.
Blair said Toronto police "remain committed to accountability for our actions." He again asked the public to submit any information on offences they believe officers committed to the G20 investigative unit, which has launched its own website.
About 100 officers are currently being investigated by the police service's professional standards unit for infractions during the G20 protests, such as removing their nametags.
Around 1,100 people were arrested over the course of the June 26-27 weekend, but most of those detained were not charged. Around 140 people are facing charges, and six people have been convicted.
At least three G20-related lawsuits, with claims totalling $161 million, have been launched against the Toronto police and other officials.
