Toronto cop caught on tape punching Somali man

[underdog]

Did you guys see this on the news?

 

A Somali immigrant charged with assaulting a Toronto cop hopes a grainy videotape that appears to show an officer shoving and punching him will prove his innocence.

 

Immigrant hopes video will clear him of assault

Updated Fri. Dec. 12 2003 6:27 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

 

A Somali immigrant charged with assaulting a Toronto cop hopes a grainy videotape that appears to show an officer shoving and punching him will prove his innocence.

 

Jama Said Jama, a 21-year-old landed immigrant from Somalia, maintains he was trying to break up a late-night fight in Toronto last August when police arrived on the scene.

 

"One officer said 'come here' when he got out of the car," Jama said. "So I stopped, and ... he came to me and he grabbed me by my throat and then he punched me," Jama said.

 

"Then the same officer who punched me, grabbed me, and he smashed me into the pavement, and then he started stamping on my head, which caused me to lose basically my tooth."

 

The video, which was shot by a bystander, shows Jama being punched and ends with him running off camera.

 

The officers, unaware the tape existed until Wednesday, filed disclosure documents to the court that give a much different version of events.

 

"I have the male (Jama) by the arm, bringing him to the side of the vehicle. Male strikes out with both arms hitting me," read the notes of the officer that Jama accuses of punching him.

 

The notes say Jama, who has no criminal record, suffered his injuries during a fight earlier that night. They have him apologizing for pushing the officer.

 

The video, taken without the knowledge of either Jama or the officer, shows Jama with no apparent facial injuries before his encounter with police.

 

Jama has been charged with assaulting a police officer. If he's convicted, he could be refused citizenship and deported.

 

But he's hoping the video will end the case quickly.

 

Jama's lawyer said the tape is a crucial piece of evidence.

 

"Without the video, I think you can ask any criminal lawyer, it'd be very difficult to defend. He might win. But the chances are that three police officers would be believed over one immigrant from Somalia," Andrew Vaughan said.

 

Police Chief Julian Fantino, already under fire over cameras in cruisers and allegations of racial profiling by his officers, won't comment because the matter is before the courts.

 

"We're going to get to the bottom of it," he said after reviewing the taped evidence.

 

Jama is considering suing the officers, but he first must be cleared of criminal charges.

 

 

here's the news clip: http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20031213-005/Video-5-2.asx

[Jaabir]

daamn.. he roughed him up real bad walaahi.. man when are those MF cops gonna respect minorities :mad:

[underdog]

Darman, I don't think they ever will. It's a shame, because I've seen some good cops but most of them especially the young ones have some serious beef with immigrants....

 

I personally think some of these cops suffering from culture-shock. So many years of thinking immigrants are inferior and now that they see them up close they realize we're just as capable if not better and the only way they strike back to protect they "imagined" superiority is to hold us down any chance they get.

 

- Never get the job unless someone hooks you up ( or theres no one else)

 

- Mess up once with the cops and no warnings you get a record first time out.

 

- You know all those little laws that no one ever uses, well there still on the books for you. ( I got a ticket for Idling after I just saw him ask a white guy(who was there before me) to move....you belive that?...and then he had the nerve to try and lecture me about idling and I said to him "Hey man, the ticket or the lecture, you can't give both").

 

It seems we're not welcome here, but I have no plans to go else where anytime soon so I can either become a quite "house-broken" pet or stand for myself.

[Diaspora_Dude]

Dang they used to say Korono cops were kool as mf, but this incident shows different phase......I like how he called Immig's "Soft Target" as a "Maaaaaaaaaaaato"....................

 

 

Peace

Love &

Unity

[Jaabir]

Originally posted by Prettyboy:

Dang they used to say Korono cops were kool as mf, but this incident shows different phase......I like how he called Immig's "Soft Target" as a "Maaaaaaaaaaaato"....................

 

 

Peace

Love &

Unity

thats right, that community member was outspoken.. i hope they do somthing about that though...

[Instinct.Poet]

Hope he can get..Fait justice..

Police officers who abuse their power should be

brought to justice..

 

[Valenteenah.]

Same old story...happens everywhere if u ask me.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

Before we blame the police, a bunch of those guys were fighting themselves at the wee hour of 3 a.m. in the morning on a major Toronto street and highway intersection.

 

What do you then expect than having the police's attention?

 

However, that didn't qualify any brutality and cruelty--including the punches--from the police. Their actions are inexcusable to say the least.

 

After the repeated punches, the brother lost an ilig and a lot of blood as you can see from the picture.

 

As you can see on the left, the mean-spirited police guy is giving him a real punch. Darn.

 

If you would like to watch the video, click here

 

Finally, if he is convicted--the police officers have charged him harassment; fleeing from police, not what they did to him--and since he isn't Canadian yet he might face deportation to Soomaaliya. Maskiinka Ilaahey ha u sahlo, aamiin.

[SaMaaH]

So sad he's lucky walaahi since he's not a canadian citizen yet he would've been deported back to somalia that ottawa tourist who video taped everything she saved his a$$