woman who alleges she was shot with rubber bullets by Toronto Police during the G20 summit is at the centre of a lawsuit expected to be detailed Wednesday.
Natalie Gray, 20, is suing the Toronto Police Services Board and unnamed individual officers for more than $1 million in damages for her treatment during the massive summit in June, her lawyers announced late Tuesday.
“Natalie is suing for assault and battery, unlawful arrest and detention, malicious prosecution, and violations of a number of her constitutional rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” a press release from lawyers Clayton Ruby and Brian Shiller stated. “Mr. Ruby and Mr. Shiller call for an immediate criminal investigation of the police officer who shot Natalie.”
The lawyers alleged Gray was “protesting peacefully” on June 27 when “she was viciously shot twice by the Toronto Police with what she believes were rubber bullets.”
“Natalie sustained extremely painful injuries to both her elbow and sternum. The police initially denied, but later admitted, to using rubber bullets,” the lawyers stated. “Natalie was arrested and — without any basis in law — was charged with obstruction of a peace officer.”
Shiller and Ruby go on to state that Gray was driven around in a police car for 30 minutes before she was taken to hospital.
“She was then taken to the detention centre on Eastern Ave., where she was taunted by police officers, denied access to her asthma medication, strip searched and denied access to counsel despite her repeated requests to speak to a lawyer,” the lawyers state.
Gray said she was detained for 30 hours before she was released on bail the next day.
Charges against Gray were withdrawn on Aug. 23.
Gray said in a statement posted on mediacoop.ca she has never “been more terrified, more dehumanized or more in pain than I was that day.”
Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The lawsuit is the third one publicly announced since the June summit.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
