TORONTO — The wife of a man accused of running over a Toronto police constable told the officer who pulled her out of the car at gunpoint that she didn't know they were police, court heard Tuesday.
Pais said he identified himself as police and yelled at Shaikh to get out of the car, but when she didn't, he opened the passenger side door and grabbed her wrist to pull her out. He said that's when he noticed she was pregnant.At some point, the officers – who were in plain clothes, meaning they were dressed like regular people – put on their police vests and Shaikh's husband, Umar Zameer, was handcuffed and placed on the ground on the driver's side of the car, court heard.
Court has heard Northrup's partner stayed with him after he was struck, while Pais and Correa drove after Zameer's car. Aside from Zameer and Shaikh, the couple's two-year-old son was also in the car, court has heard. “I saw flesh and blood on the BMW. I ordered Mr. Zameer to get up, he didn’t comply … then I struck him, yes,” he said.
When asked whether striking a handcuffed person was consistent with his training, Pais told the court officers are authorized"to strike people to gain compliance."