A Toronto police officer has been removed from his position with the Professional Standards Unit following allegations he interfered with an investigation into his two sons being charged with severely beating a Black teen last year, according to Mayor John Tory.

A complaint filed to Ontario’s Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) by Dafonte Miller’s lawyer Julian Falconer in August alleged that police attempted to protect Const. Michael Theriault and his brother Christian Theriault from criminal charges.

The complaint alleged Det. John Theriault repeatedly contacted Durham Regional Police to access information relating to the investigation into his sons Michael and Christian Theriault. It said John Theriault provided false information about injuries suffered by Christian “to aid in the concealment of the crimes” allegedly committed by his sons.

Michael and Christian Theriault were charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and public mischief in connection to Miller’s injuries, which included damage to an eye so severe it will have to be surgically removed.

The public mischief charges are based on allegations the brothers misled investigators. According to court documents, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which investigates serious injuries involving Ontario police officers, alleged they “did with intent to mislead, cause a peace offer to enter upon or continue an investigation and thereby commit public mischief.”

John Theriault is a 30-year Toronto police veteran who worked in the professional standards unit, which deals with officer misconduct.

“My understanding is he is no longer in the Professional Standards Unit at this time. The rest has to unfold now in the investigation,” Tory told reporters on Tuesday. “It is profoundly unacceptable the entire notion that any person could be beaten to the point that they lose the use of their eye by police officers whether they’re on or off duty.”

In the early hours of Dec. 28, 2016, Miller and two friends were walking to another friend’s house in Whitby when they were allegedly confronted by Michael Theriault, who identified himself as a police officer, Falconer said earlier. Miller and his friends were chased by Michael Theriault and Miller was then allegedly punched, kicked and struck in the face with a metal pipe.

Neither Durham or Toronto police notified the SIU about Miller’s injuries. The SIU was instead alerted to the incident by Falconer in April, which led to the Theriault brothers’charges.

In July, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders denied that there was a coverup. “To say that this is a coverup is misleading,” Saunders said. “It was not a coverup. My officers acted in good faith.”

With files from Wendy Gillis, Jennifer Pagliaro and Peter Goffin

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Demonstrators protested outside an Oshawa courthouse where a pre-trial hearing was being held for a Toronto police officer and his brother who are charged in assaulting Dafonte Miller. The brothers, Const. Michael Theriault and Christian Theriault, did not appear in person at the on Sept. 7 hearing. (Wendy Gillis/Toronto Star)

Read more about: