VICTIM'S HEAD KICKED 'LIKE A SOCCER BALL'

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver police chief's report on the beating of three
suspected drug dealers in Stanley Park portrays a far more vicious police
attack than earlier depicted, including a description of an officer kicking
a victim's head "like a soccer ball."

The 100-page report, written by Chief Jamie Graham, provides a raft of new
details, including statements that suggest the attack was planned, even not
out of the ordinary.

The beating eventually led him to fire two officers and suspend four others.

The report's key statements came from a young recruit, Constable Troy
Peters, who watched the violence from the hood of a police cruiser, then
later turned whistle blower. His statements were given to internal affairs
and a Crown attorney in the criminal case.

At one point after the attack, Constable Peters said, Constable Gabriel
Kojima turned to him and said, "Now, that was the shit you signed up for."

Constable Kojima was among two officers ordered fired this week by Chief
Graham.

Chief Graham said it was Constable Peters's testimony that prompted him to
take the action he did. He described the officer's statements as compelling
and reliable.

Yesterday, deputy police chief Bob Rich again praised Constable Peters for
coming forward to report the assault. He said the officer is back at work,
intent on getting on with his career.

"Constable Peters did what we expect every police officer to do in this
circumstance, and, like other police officers that have to face these
difficult decisions and return to their job, he has been very successful."

Asked whether his colleagues bore any grudges against the constable, deputy
chief Rich replied: "I haven't been with Constable Peters every moment of
his life, but my best understanding is . . . no, there have been no
repercussions. He works in patrol as any young, new officer would."

However, the deputy chief said he would think twice about assigning
Constable Peters to work alongside the suspended officers when they return.

"We're not about to put them in the same car tomorrow . . . if that's what
you're asking."

The chief's report paints the Stanley Park beating as astomach-turning
attack that escalated with each punch thrown.

It is far stronger than the facts agreed to by the six charged officers who
pleaded guilty to assault charges in a plea bargain last year.

The incident began in downtown Vancouver when police picked up four
suspected drug dealers, three men and a woman, and arrested them for breach
of peace. They dropped the woman outside the sprawling downtown park, then
drove the men to a remote parking lot near a beach.

According to Constable Peters's statement, one officer -- Constable Kojima
- -- warned a suspect beforehand that he was going to "kick the shit out of him."

Constable Peters reported that the officers pulled the men out of the van
one by one, punched and kicked them, shone flashlights in their eyes and
screamed threatening insults.

At one point Constable Ray Gardner asked Constable Peters whether he was
"all right with this" and that if he needed to go sit in the police car no
one would take offence.

At another point, Constable Kojima shone his flashlight in Jason
Desjardins's face and the rest of the officers lit into the man with punches.

"He fell to the ground after numerous strikes," Constable Peters said in a
statement to the Crown prosecutor.

Constable Kojima kicked him in the head and Mr. Desjardins grimaced in
pain. "I remember him kind of kicking his head around similar to what a
young kid would do with a soccer ball in between his feet," Constable
Peters said.

Finally, just before the final assault, Constable James Kenney turned to
Constable Peters and suggested that "maybe I should take a walk, because,
uh, this one is going to be the ugliest of the three." By this point, the
officers were "getting more intense . . . getting agitated . . . up on the
balls of their feet."

Constable Peters waited five days before he reported the attack.

The firings and suspensions have met with mixed reaction in Vancouver, a
city plagued with drug-related crimes. Many callers to radio talk shows
supported the six officers. Others said they shouldn't have been fired.

The chief's decision is not final. His recommendations must be reviewed by
the B.C. Police Complaint Commissioner. After reviewing the evidence, the
commissioner has many options of his own, including confirming the
penalties or calling a public inquiry.