The trial for a Vancouver police officer accused of punching a cyclist in the face opened Wednesday with testimony from his alleged victim.
Const. Ismail Bhabha and another officer stopped cyclist Andishae Akhavan-Kharazi for running a red light and riding without a helmet in Yaletown in March 2013.
Akhavan-Kharazi told Vancouver provincial court he said it was "bulls***" that officers were giving him a ticket and they placed him under arrest.
He 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.
The confrontation was filmed by a bystander and the footage, which sparked outrage on YouTube, was aired repeatedly in court Wednesday.
It appears to show Bhabha striking the cyclist, who asks “Why did you punch me?”
“Because you was resisting,” Bhabha replies. “I was trying to put my cuffs on you and you pulled your arm away.”
The Office of the Police Complaints Commission ordered an external investigation into the YouTube video weeks after the arrest, and Bhabha was charged with one count of assault in September.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Bhabha’s trial is expected to last two more days and hear testimony from a use of force expert.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim
