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Cop warned rookie not to arrest him, Vancouver court hears
Cop warned rookie not to arrest him, Vancouver court hears
Const. Jeffrey Klassen said "don't you dare do that," rookie cop recalled
VANCOUVER - A rookie Vancouver police officer testified today how he arrested his use-of-force instructor for assault last year.
When he arrived on the scene, VPD Const. Rajan Jaswal recalled, he recognized Const. Jeffrey Klassen as his use-of-force instructor for eight months at the Justice Institute, where the rookie had just finished his police training in December 2008 - a month before the arrest.
He recalled Klassen saying as he was being arrested: "Don't you dare do that. I taught you."
Jaswal said Klassen, an off-duty New Westminster constable, smelled of liquor and was "very angry and very frustrated" about being arrested.
"If you were in New West, I would treat you better if you were drinking and driving,," the arresting officer recalled Klassen saying.
"I would sit you in my car, let you cool off and tell you to go away," Klassen added, the witness said.
Klassen asked for the handcuffs to be removed, saying it was "ridiculous," Jaswal said.
"It's not like I'm going to do anything. I'm not stupid," Klassen said, the witness testified.
"This is absolutely stupid. I can't believe you're doing this...I just finished teaching you,," he recalled Klassen saying.
The rookie also recalled Klassen saying: "You're supposed to writing down what I'm saying -- are you doing that?"
Jaswal said he used a pen to write notes on his latex glove, then, when he ran out of space on the glove, continued writing on his arm.
The witness recalled he had only worked about 15 shifts when he had to arrest Klassen after 2 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2009.
The Vancouver officer said he was responded to a 911 call that night and pulled up in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel to find three men who had a man restrained on the ground.
"This is the guy. Arrest him - he's a **** rat," Jaswal recalled one of the three men saying as they handed over the man on the ground - newspaper delivery man Firoz Khan.
Khan testified that he was delivering a stack of newspapers to the hotel when a man asked for directions. He recalled telling the man he just had to deliver the newspapers first, then would help.
The man then launched an unprovoked attack, Khan said.
The attacker was off-duty West Vancouver constable Griffin Gillan, who earlier pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to 21 days of house arrest.
The Crown contends Gillan, Klassen and another off-duty officer, Delta police Const. Blair Tanino, had been drinking non-stop for six hours before the altercation with Khan. The trio started off drinking while watching a Canucks game, then carried on at bars along Granville Street in downtown Vancouver.
Tanino, who was not charged, is expected to testify next week.
Klassen is on trial for assault and possession of stolen property - Khan's cell phone. Jaswal testified he found Khan's cell phone in Klassen's pocket. |
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發表於 2010-10-15 19:10
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