Links to the Breadcrumb trail
- News
- Local news
A trial jury on Wednesday watched a grainy video that captured parts of the last, desperate minutes of Babak Saidi’s life.
Publication date:
April 21, 2022 • 25 minutes ago • 4 minutes reading Babak Saidi, 43, died after being shot dead on December 23, 2017 by an OPP police officer during a clash in the Morrisburg Squad. Photo by Files / Postmedia
Content of the article
Babak Saidi was identified by Ontario police as a violent, high-risk offender when he entered the OPP unit in Morrisburg on the morning of December 23, 2017 for what he considered a routine, weekly police check.
Advertising 2
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The only two officers in the squad were waiting to arrest Saidi on new charges of assault.
The arrest went awry tragically and an investigative jury on Wednesday watched a grainy video that captured parts of the last, desperate minutes of Saidi’s life.
The video shows, for the first time, 43-year-old Saidi, dressed in black and wearing an electric heel, in a room by two police officers.
Investigation lawyer Prabhu Rajan said investigators would hear that police were trying to arrest Saidi in the room. But Saidi, he said, told police he had to talk to his father, who was parked outside, and collided.
The camera captured Saidi moving quickly toward the front door of the squad as officers chased him. A male police officer grabbed Saidi’s shoulder and the other officer, a woman, grabbed his arm, but Saidi managed to continue through the door. The three of them went outside, and Saidi struggled to free herself.
Advertising 3
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The male policeman struck several blows and all three fell to the ground, with Saidi on his back in the snow.
The video shows police struggling to gain control of Saidi as they unsuccessfully try to use their electroshock devices.
After a fight, the male policeman got up and went out of range of the camera. Saidi stepped toward him.
A moment later, said the investigating lawyer, Saidi was shot five times by a male police officer. There was no sound in the video, so the exact time of the footage was unknown.
A 2019 report from the province’s special investigations department concluded that the officer fired in self-defense after Saidi reached out and grabbed the barrel of his pistol.
The investigation found on Wednesday that the OPP’s Behavior Analysis Team had prepared a detailed assessment of the Saidi threat in April 2017 – one that arrest officials did not know existed.
Advertising 4
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The threat assessment was made at the request of a royal lawyer who was pursuing the identification of a dangerous violator for Saidi, a legal effort that was later abandoned.
The detainees did not have access to the threat assessment because there was no system at the time to warn frontline officials of its existence, Det said. Sergeant William Gofton, manager of the behavioral analysis team.
Such a system was introduced in 2019.
The assessment reviews Saidi’s long criminal history and analyzes his violence, drug use and mental health problems. He was recently diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, the report said.
He concluded, Gofton said, that Saidi was at high risk of violence because of his aggression and impulsiveness.
Advertising 5
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Asked if the report could have helped police better plan for Saidi’s arrest, Gofton said it may be because it contains so much information. But any officer checking the regular police database, he noted, would also see a series of warnings and flags in Saidi’s file warning of unpredictable behavior, gun ownership, drug use and violence.
The OPP’s records management system, known as Niche, already alerts staff when a risk assessment report is available and provides a number to call for more details.
Babak Saidi with his sister Eli. She testified in the investigation of his death in 2017 that “the loss of Babak has left a gaping hole in our lives.” Photo from Family Photo / Distribution
Earlier Wednesday, the court heard the victim’s sister, Eli Saidi, describe her brother as “a loving, kind and generous man.”
Saidi said her brother was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1974. Members of the Bahá’í Faith, the family was persecuted in that country and arrived in Canada as refugees in 1985.
Advertising 6
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
They lived in Brockville, she said, where Saidi fought both socially and academically. “Babak was difficult to be socially accepted,” she said. “He was a skinny little boy and didn’t know the language very well; there was an accent and a darker skin tone.
Fast-paced and growing stronger, Saidi was embroiled in battle when he grew up and left high school in 10th grade. He said he was battling drug addiction, which led to problems with the law and mental health problems.
Saidi’s mother arranged for him to see a counselor, but he left the session and did not return. “It was hard to know how to help him,” his sister said.
In 2012, the family bought a farm for Saidi so he could rebuild his life. He raised sheep, cows, ducks, produced honey and sold organic garlic.
“He loved working with his hands,” Eli Saidi said, “and he made a really bad cheesecake.”
The close-knit family was devastated by his death.
“The loss of Babak left a gaping hole in our lives,” she said.
The investigation continues on Thursday and the planning that led to Saidi’s arrest is expected to be investigated.
Share this article on your social network
Advertising 1
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Sign up to receive daily headlines from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
By clicking on the register button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thank you for registering!
Email is welcome. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will be in your inbox soon.
There was a problem registering with you. Please, try again
Add Comment