VPD officers face charges in assault of former UBC football player

Two Vancouver police officers have been charged for their part in an alleged 2018 assault on a former UBC football player.

Jamiel Moore-Williams was in Downtown Vancouver with friends on Feb. 11, 2018, when he stepped into the street to avoid something on the sidewalk, he said in a 2018 lawsuit filed against Vancouver police.

He said an officer approached him and asked to see identification, alleging Moore-Williams, now 23, was jaywalking. Several other officers also approached. Moore-Williams said he hadn't been drinking and hadn't taken any drugs before the incident.

The exchange escalated and resulted in officers allegedly assaulting Moore-Williams, “kicking and hitting him in the head and body,” according to Moore-Williams' statement of claim.

A Taser was also discharged on Moore-Williams, a Black man who believes his race and six-foot-four size were factors in officers deciding to stop him and in the level of force used.

On Tuesday, the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) announced charges of assault and assault with a weapon had been approved against two Vancouver cops.

Const. Jarrod Sidhu is charged with one count of assault with a weapon, while Const. Jagpreet Ghuman is charged with one count of assault.

The pair are expected to appear in court on Jan. 14, 2021.

“The charges were approved by an experienced Crown counsel with no prior or current connection with the officers,” the BCPS said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The charges follow an investigation by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC).

The RCMP was initially tasked with investigating the incident, but concluded its probe and didn't refer the matter to the prosecution service to consider criminal charges. The OPCC then reviewed the Mounties' investigation and determined charges were possible.