TORONTO — A young Black man is suing Toronto police, alleging officers threw him to the ground, pressed a knee to his neck, repeatedly shot him with a stun gun while he was restrained and wrongfully detained him, all as he pleaded that he had done nothing wrong.
A statement of claim filed in the Superior Court of Justice alleges 27-year-old Hasani O’Gilvie was assaulted by three Toronto police constables outside a North York grocery store on his way to class at the University of Toronto in August 2021.
The claim, which has yet to be tested in court, alleges O’Gilvie was released after the officers searched his bag and found identification proving what he told police.
O’Gilvie and his family are seeking more than $1 million in damages.
His lawyer and his family say the case puts a face to statistics showing that Black people in Toronto face disproportionate levels of police use of force.
The Toronto Police Service says it will not comment as the matter is before the courts, and the Toronto Police Association says the officers are not commenting as the case is before a police review tribunal.
