Civilian agency asked to probe police forces after officer charged in teen beating
TORONTO — The family of a black teen who lost sight in one eye after a confrontation with a Toronto officer and his brother is calling for an investigation into how two Ontario police forces handled the incident.
Lawyers representing Dafonte Miller and his family have filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director in connection with the December 2016 incident.
They allege Toronto police and Durham regional police tried to cover up the attack on Miller to protect Michael Theriault, an off-duty Toronto constable, and his brother Christian Theriault from prosecution.
The complaint, which was filed Tuesday, alleges the police forces “blindly” accepted the brothers’ accounts of what happened, despite Miller’s obvious and severe injuries and the presence of witnesses, who they failed to interview.