Toronto officer punched man accused of running over colleague during arrest, court hears

Jurors are hearing a Toronto police officer punched the man accused of running over his colleague in the face during arrest.

Const. Scharnil Pais was one of the officers at the scene when Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup was hit by a vehicle in an underground parking garage at Toronto City Hall shortly after midnight on July 2, 2021.

Under cross-examination today, Pais said he punched Umar Zameer “in the face area” while the man was handcuffed on the ground.

But the officer rejected the defence’s suggestion he did so because he was angry, saying he resorted to force because Zameer had not complied with his order to get up.

Pais said he was concerned for Zameer’s safety due to the possibility that other vehicles were nearby. He added the situation was “chaos.”

Zameer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Northrup’s death.

Prosecutors allege Zameer chose to make a series of manoeuvres with his vehicle while plainclothes officers were nearby.

The defence, meanwhile, argues Northrup’s death was an accident, and Zameer and his pregnant wife were scared because they did not know the people approaching them were police.