POLICE BEING PROBED FOR VIOLENT ARRESTS

The provincial Special Investigations Unit has begun a probe of the
actions of three Toronto Police Service officers involved in a drug
bust that left a Toronto man with serious injuries.

An Ontario Superior Court ruling last month said the officers
involved in the case "physically abused" two young men they arrested
in June, 2006.

Mr. Justice Brian Trafford threw out firearms charges against Shayne
Fisher, 24, and Valter Almeida, 23. In a June 26, 2008, decision, he
wrote: "Clearly, the defendants were physically abused by the TPS
when they were arrested on June 7, 2006," and several of the young
men's other legal rights were infringed.

Yesterday, the SIU announced it is looking into three officers
connected to the case, with nine more officers named as witnesses.

Under the province's Police Services Act, services are required to
notify the SIU when police action has resulted in serious injury or death.

But this case came to the attention of the agency through local news
media reports detailing the extent of the injuries Mr. Fisher
sustained during the arrest - including a fractured rib, perforated
eardrum and bruising around the eye, said SIU spokesman John Yoannou.

"In this situation we became aware of this as a result of media
accounts. It's not a usual practice," he said.

"We realized this was an occurrence that fell within our mandate and
moved very quickly to commence an investigation."

The issue of why Toronto police didn't inform the SIU of the case
will be part of the investigation, Mr. Yoannou said.

The SIU has ordered transcripts of the trial and assigned two
investigators, though more may be added if additional witnesses come
forward, he said.