A police technique of arresting suspects face-down to the ground should be considered a lethal use of force, lawyers at a coroner’s inquest are arguing.
Junior Manon, 18, died after struggling with police near York University in May 2010.
An inquest, which began Monday, was called after the Special Investigations Unit cleared the two officers involved of any wrongdoing.
“Obviously the position he was in and the way he was treated, and the weight that was put on his body killed him,” said Julian Falconer, the lawyer representing the Manon family.
Manon was driving when two police officers — Const. Michael Adams and Const. Stuart Blower — pulled him over for an expired validation tag, concluding he breached a condition of his probation by driving. When they informed Manon of this and attempted to arrest him, he fled.
The two officers gave chase and took Manon, close to six-feet tall and over 200 pounds, to the ground, face-down, in an attempt to handcuff him as punches were thrown by the officers and Manon.
Before officers had an opportunity to cuff Manon, his body went limp.
He was declared dead soon after.
“It’s common sense, if people are dying then you take steps to fix it,” said Falconer. “Simply because police officers don’t get cooperation, it doesn’t give them a blank check on people’s lives.”
The inquest continues Tuesday.
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