America
Indo-Canadian policeman held guilty for punching man
Ottawa, Aug 5
An Indo-Canadian Sikh officer
with the Vancouver police department has been held guilty for punching a
cyclist in the face, a media report said.
An investigation was
launched into Ismail Bhabha's conduct after a YouTube video surfaced of
the officer striking a man he was attempting to handcuff in March 2013,
The Link newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Bhabha said he was
trying to arrest the cyclist because he ran a red light two years ago in
Yaletown and was not wearing a helmet.
Last year during trial,
the cyclist, Andishae Akhavan-Kharazi said it was "bullshit" that
officers were giving him a ticket, the report said.
The cyclist
testified that when his arm was twisted behind his back, he turned his
head and was punched, leaving him with a chipped tooth, a cut lip and
injuries to his neck and jaw.
A bystander filmed the confrontation and the footage sparked outrage on YouTube.
In
the video, the cyclist was seen asking Bhabha, "Why did you punch me?"
to which Bhabha replied, "Because you was resisting. I was trying to put
my cuffs on you and you pulled your arm away."
The officers arrested Bhabha for his misconduct. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November.