Waterloo police to probe handling of assault case by Toronto officer last year

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders has asked police in Waterloo, Ont., to investigate how his force handled a case involving the alleged assault of a teen by an off-duty Toronto police officer.

The province’s police watchdog has said Const. Michael Theriault was off duty when he allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old in Whitby, Ont., last December.

The Special Investigations Unit has said there was an interaction allegedly involving Theriault, a civilian and the teen.

The SIU says the teen was taken to hospital with undisclosed serious injuries.

Theriault has been charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and public mischief.

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Saunders says the Toronto police force did not initially contact the SIU after the alleged incident based on the information they had at the time.

He says when a new version of events emerged, the SIU’s involvement was required.

Saunders says he took the extra step of asking Waterloo police to investigate how the matter was handled given the circumstances of the case.

The Canadian Press