A “no-knock” entry by Brantford police at the wrong downtown apartment unit has left a family “extremely traumatized,” says their lawyer.
Mike Smitiuch said his clients, a man and his fiance, were arrested during the raid, which happened on Sept. 8 as members of the Tactical Intelligence Generating Enforcement and Response, or TIGER, unit completed a drug-trafficking investigation named Project Viking.
He said the man was “kicked in the head by an officer,” while his fiance experienced “hearing loss and vision issues due to what is believed to have been a flash grenade” used in the raid.
Smitiuch said the man and woman were handcuffed and children, aged six and 13, were threatened before police realized they were at the wrong apartment.
Brantford police issued a news release late Friday stating one of three warrants was executed at a wrong address. Police said the warrants were obtained for addresses on Darling Street and a vehicle.
The error has prompted an investigation by police Chief Rob Davis “to determine the circumstances surrounding this oversight and to implement any policy improvements should they be required,” said the release.
“Transparency and accountability are core values of the Brantford Police Service and, as chief, I am conducting a chief’s investigation to determine how this type of error could have occurred and want to assure residents of Brantford that measures will be put in place to make sure this does not occur again. Above all else, the trust of our community is essential to the Brantford Police Service,” Davis said in the release.
Police admitted in the release that the incident “would have been unsettling for those impacted,” noting that Victim Services of Brant has been brought in to assist.
In a release issued earlier Friday, police said fentanyl with a street value of more than $600,000 was seized during the drug investigation. A 34-year-old Brampton man is facing drug and weapons charges in connection to the case.
“The raid by the Brantford police at the wrong address was extremely shocking and traumatizing for the entire family, including two young children,” said Smitiuch.
“The police violated the peace, security and privacy of their home and have left the family distressed and wondering how such a horrible mistake could be made.”
Jeremy Morton, president of the Brantford Police Association, sympathized with the family.
“We feel for the people affected as a result of this and are looking forward to the results of the investigation,” he said.
While he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the incident, Morton said the chief’s investigation will look at concerns about officer conduct during the raid and ensure changes to avoid a repeat in the future.
“This (going to the wrong door with a search warrant) would be the first occurrence I know of in my career with BPS,” he said. “It’s a very rare occurrence.”
He noted that policing has become far more complex, with officers dealing with more severe crimes in the last few years.
“By removing those drugs, who knows how many lives it potentially saved.”
Morton said he expects officers involved in the mistaken raid to be upset.
“If I was one of those officers, he would definitely shake me,” he said.
“We try to be perfect but we’re humans. The last thing we want to do is upset general members of the public by having something like that happen to them.”
Smitiuch said his clients told him none of the officers in the raid apologized for the error but a person believed to be the lead investigator later came to the apartment and apologized on behalf of the service. Later, a person called to also apologize, he said.
“It is hoped that there will be answers and accountability for what happened,” said Smitiuch.
“But, most importantly, it is hoped that this never happens to another family again.”