Crown lawyers have put an end to a private prosecution launched against an Edmonton police officer previously spared charges for kicking an Indigenous teenager in the head.
On Friday, chief prosecutor Sarah Langley sent a letter to the clerk of the Alberta court of justice staying a charge of aggravated assault laid by Pacey Dumas against Edmonton Police Service Const. Ben Todd.Todd kicked Dumas, then 18, in the head on Dec. 9, 2020, while responding to a complaint about a knife. The kick knocked Dumas unconscious and required surgery to remove a section of his skull.
Edmonton police officer who kicked Indigenous teen’s head won’t be charged despite scathing ASIRT decisionPrivate prosecution launched against Edmonton police officer spared criminal charges after kicking teenager in head A neighbour said Dumas — who according to ASIRT weighed 90 pounds — was squirming on the ground with his hands behind his back when an officer kicked him in the head like a “soccer ball,” knocking him unconscious. Officers at the scene claimed Dumas said he had a knife and reached for his waistband, though he was later found to have been unarmed.Dumas does not remember what happened due to severe head trauma, which required a nine-day hospital stay.
In a statement about the decision to quash the private prosecution, ACPS spokesperson Michelle Davio said prosecutors considered an affidavit Dumas filed as part of laying the private charge against Todd.Davio described the circumstances as “disturbing” and said the initial decision not to prosecute Todd was “not an endorsement of the officer’s actions or their tragic consequences.”
“What is it to the Crown to let this matter go to trial?” she asked. “Give the police officers the opportunity to explain what happened. Explain the decision-making. Increase public trust in policing. Actually have a system of accountability and transparency.”
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