A series of lawsuits, some for incidents that occurred over a year ago, have recently been filed against the Calgary Police Service and several specific (though unnamed) officers. Each suit is completely separate and unique, yet in each the plaintiff alleges that they were caused physical harm by Calgary Police acting in an unreasonable and negligent manner.
In one incident from 2013, Calgary citizen David Loeppky was allegedly attacked by a police dog and then forcibly pulled out of his truck and onto the ground, where he lost consciousness as the rough handling continued. No charges were filed against Loeppky, who was apparently mistaken for a suspect after reporting a possible crime in his area.
Due to alleged ongoing health problems and mental trauma stemming from the incident, Loeppky is seeking $500,000 in general damages from the Calgary Police Service, in addition to unspecified special damages.
Matthew Brown’s case also comes from a 2013 incident, in which the plaintiff claims he was attepting to leave an unlawful detention by Calgary Police when one officer shot him in the neck, causing him to become paralyzed from the neck down. The claim indicates the vehicle may have been in motion, and some sources suggest the vehicle was pointed towards the officer who fired; this could lead to a finding that the shooting was justifiable, however no official defence has yet been filed.
Brown is seeking more than $8 million in compensation for his injuries.
To continue reading this article, please see Part 2 here.