SIU clears Toronto officer in Queens Quay cyclist takedown that caused brain injury

The Special Investigations Unit found no reasonable grounds to believe a Toronto police officer committed a criminal offence in the takedown of a cyclist on Queens Quay on May 31, SIU director Joseph Martino announced Tuesday, September 22.

The 21-year-old cyclist passed through a stop-sign intersection without stopping near Little Norway Crescent during a police enforcement blitz. Body-worn camera footage shows the cyclist looked toward two officers as officers directed two others to stop the rider. When the cyclist went around an officer who had stepped in front of the bicycle, the subject officer chased after the rider on foot and extended his left arm to make contact with the cyclist's backpack. The cyclist lost control of the bicycle and toppled over onto the grass boulevard and sidewalk.

Video of the incident was posted to X by David Shellnutt, a cycling advocate and personal injury lawyer, and showed two officers forcefully bringing the cyclist to the ground while bystanders reacted in shock. The video captured only a portion of the interaction. In the footage, the cyclist asks "What did I do wrong?" and an officer responds "You didn't stop." Body-worn camera shows the cyclist saying "F the police."

The SIU noted it was unclear whether the officer intended to grab the backpack or push the cyclist off the bike. The unit found the risk of injury was moderate because the cyclist had significantly slowed when the officer stepped in front. The officer would have been rightly concerned the cyclist would continue efforts to flee, the SIU determined.

The cyclist was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury following the incident. As HOC reported in June, the video sparked an excessive-force debate on social media and raised ongoing questions about how the city enforces traffic laws on the waterfront trail. Police have faced criticism in past years for similar blitzes targeting cyclists rolling through stop signs.