The Crown's final eyewitness in the manslaughter trial of Const. Daniel Montsion told the court Friday he was shocked by the "speed and manner" with which the Ottawa police officer struck Abdirahman Abdi, who didn't appear to grasp the seriousness of the situation he was in.

"I was disgusted when I saw the blows being delivered to Mr. Abdi," Ross McGhie testified.

McGhie was out for a Sunday morning run with his wife on July 24, 2016, when he saw Abdi running down Wellington Street W. with Const. Dave Weir in close pursuit.

He watched the arrest unfold from across the street, and said things changed once Montsion arrived.

"The situation evolved into something else, something different," McGhie told the court.

Montsion arrived as Weir was grappling with Abdi and immediately punched Abdi in the head, McGhie said.

"They were very, very heavy blows," he said.

At that point, McGhie moved to a different location, and said he didn't see Abdi thrown to the ground, but did hear him scream "help."

When he looked again, McGie said Abdi was on the ground in handcuffs, motionless.

Ross McGhie and his partner were returning from a run when they saw a police officer pursuing Abdirahman Abdi on July 24, 2016. (CBC)

Playing a game

McGhie said his impression was that Abdi never understood he was under arrest. At one point during the foot chase, Abdi was even smiling, McGhie said.

"It was almost like he was playing a game with the officer," he said.

When Abdi reached the door of his building at 55 Hilda St., he turned to face Weir as if to say, "Ok, what do we do now?" McGhie said.

McGhie said Abdi never made any motions toward Weir, even as he was being struck by the baton. Both Weir and Montsion were bigger than Abdi, McGhie added.

His description of the incident stands in contrast with earlier testimony from Weir, who told the court he feared for his own life during the arrest.

Weir told the court he never got the chance to tell Abdi he was under arrest, but did issue loud, clear demands for Abdi to stop and get down on the ground.

Accounts differ

Some details of McGhie's testimony also appear to contradict surveillance camera footage of the altercation, which has still not been accepted as evidence in the trial.

McGhie described Weir holding Abdi as Montsion punched him five or six times, preventing Abdi from dodging the blows.

A still image taken from the surveillance video at 55 Hilda St. the day of Abdirahman Abdi's violent arrest by two Ottawa police officers. (Ontario Criminal Court)

But the surveillance video shows Weir didn't restrain Abdi until after the punches, and that there were three blows at most.

McGhie's wife, Wendy Dunford, testified earlier in the trial, when it was revealed the Crown had failed to inform her of Justice Robert Kelly's orders to witnesses to refrain from reading media reports or speak with other witnesses about the case.

She also told the court she tried not to watch the video of the altercation, but later admitted she had in fact seen part of it.

Montsion's defence lawyer, Solomon Friedman, will begin his cross-examination of McGhie's evidence Friday afternoon. The cross-examination is expected to continue for several days.