Const. of the Ottawa police. Samson Waugh, who repeatedly kneed and punched a man during an arrest in 2021 and who pleaded guilty to unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority at a disciplinary hearing in May, will be stripped of a week’s pay.
Hearing Officer Supt. Chris Renwick decided to accept the joint position of Vaughn’s lawyer and Ottawa police prosecutor Vanessa Stewart that Vaughn lost seven eight-hour work days, Renwick said during a sentencing hearing early Friday afternoon.
It was held via teleconference after being rescheduled due to a nationwide Rogers outage on Friday. The original hearing officer was Supt. Mark Patterson, but he was replaced after he was suspended in mid-June amid an ongoing misconduct investigation into as-yet-undisclosed allegations against him.
Renwick noted Friday that Vaughn downplayed his actions in his memos and in conversations with investigators. The blows were “unnecessary in the circumstances,” “certainly excessive” and “could be construed as nothing more than punitive,” Renwick said.
But he also noted that Waugh – hired in 2009 – had glowing performance reviews, no disciplinary history and a “great overall reputation”.
Still, Renwick noted the “reputational damage” suffered by Waugh and the force after the arrest was made clear in September 2021 by a CBC News report.
Renwick said he hoped Friday’s sentencing decision would “calm public sentiment” and “restore confidence in the force’s commitment to the community and in Waugh as a police officer”.
The arrest was made after 3 days of searching
In 2021, a police spokesman told the CBC that the arrest was the culmination of a three-day manhunt for Thai Truong, who allegedly fled in a vehicle and assaulted a police officer during an attempted arrest following a drug-trafficking investigation. among other charges.
Truong later pleaded guilty to assaulting a peace officer, among other charges.
The hearing heard on Friday that Vo was knocked to the ground when Truong started driving during the attempted arrest.
Police said when the suspect was located three days later, he “rushed the officer and resisted arrest.”
WATCH | Security camera footage of an arrest in May 2021:
Video of the arrest sparks Ottawa police use-of-force investigation
This short security camera video, recorded May 25 at an apartment building on Lees Avenue, shows three Ottawa police officers arresting a 39-year-old man and repeatedly punching him as he lay on the ground.
The brief security camera video from May 25, 2021, shows three officers arresting Truong in the 14th-floor hallway of the Riverview Place apartment building at 180 Lees Ave., near the University of Ottawa.
Before being pushed to the ground by police, Truong was seen wrapping his arms around his body and bowing his head. One officer’s back blocks the man’s camera view, except for his sneaker-clad feet, which don’t appear to be moving.
The video shows two police officers rushing in after one restrains Truong. The second officer – Vo – then punches Truong, who is lying face down, 15 times while the third officer tries to control his legs. The second officer then delivered four knee strikes within 24 seconds, the video shows.
The footage was sent to the CBC by a source who was concerned that police used too much force during the arrest.
After the arrest, Ottawa police said officers treated a cut on the man’s wrist from handcuffs and that he refused further medical attention.
Truong later pleaded guilty
In August 2021, Truong pleaded guilty to five of the 16 charges he faced in the case that led to his May 25 arrest: assault on a peace officer, failure to stop while pursued by a peace officer, driving of a vehicle while disqualified from driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failing to comply with an order not to drive or possess the keys to a motor vehicle.
He was sentenced to 152 days in jail with credit for time spent in pre-sentence custody, as well as three years of probation.
Truong, who has an extensive criminal record and is now 40, was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to provide DNA.
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