Following the release of a gruesome surveillance video, a Toronto cop has pleaded guilty to assault for forcing his K-9 to maul a compliant and already subdued suspect. Ofc. Michael Partridge was originally charged with assault with a weapon — the weapon being the dog – however, because he took a plea bargain, his charge was reduced to simple assault. When watching the horrific video below, you will see that there is nothing simple about what happened.
A Toronto court heard that a surveillance video captured the incident that shows Partridge kicking and punching the suspect while the dog bit and clamped down on the man’s arm, according to CBC.
As the Star reports:
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The officers followed the men to a condominium near the Gladstone Hotel where they were met by several Toronto police officers. Around 3:30 p.m., one of the suspects was arrested after he walked out of the condominium and a subsequent search revealed a baggy with loose ammunition.
Partridge was on scene with his police dog, Lex, to support the arrests, court heard. Officers then received information that another suspect had entered the condominium with another man, both of whom bolted when officers tried to arrest them.
Three officers quickly caught one of the suspects, but the other had gotten away. Several officers then began searching for him when bystanders on a rooftop pointed in the direction of a running man.
The suspect — Median Jackson — sprinted into an alley, and lay down, winded, near a set of stairs, which was captured on surveillance video from the Gladstone Hotel. That video was filed in court as an exhibit.
In the video, York Region police Const. Matt McLean arrives and orders Jackson face down until help arrives. Court heard that the officer didn’t have his handcuffs because he had used them on one of the other suspects.
“Jackson was compliant, lying face down underneath the stairs,” Crown attorney Peter Scrutton told the court.
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At this point, however, Partridge sicced his K9 and then began kicking Jackson while he was down. His kicks only seemed to further enrage the dog.
“While these strikes did not cause any injury, they appeared to have served to incite the dog, which continued to grip and bite Mr. Jackson’s arm,” Scrutton told the court.
After he was beaten and mauled, Jackson was arrested and charged with breaking and entering. However, because of the officer’s actions as seen on the surveillance footage, all the charges against Jackson were dropped.
“Having heard the facts, in my view this would be an error of judgment, perhaps through inadequate training, rather than being premeditated or a loss of temper,” said Justice Harvey Brownstone.
According to the Star, Partridge said little during the proceedings, and his lawyer declined comment. The officer is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 27. He also faces three Police Services Act charges, including two for discreditable conduct and one for unnecessary exercise of authority.
Because Partridge was a cop in Canada, he was actually held accountable for his actions. Time and again, in the United States, however, officers are repeatedly seen siccing their K9s on surrendering, handcuffed, and even innocent people, and they face no accountability whatsoever.
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