A Montreal police officer accused of road rage won't be facing charges, a decision that has upset his alleged victim.
The Crown stated that there isn't enough evidence needed to prosecute, despite a surveillance video that received widespread attention when it was released in January 2015.
The video shows a man in an SUV exiting his car and speaking with a driver that pulled up on behind him on a Lasalle street.
The driver, Jeffery Pokora, said he followed the SUV after it rolled through a stop sign and passed him on the left. Pokora said he thought the driver was drunk.
He said he later discovered the man was an off-duty police officer, and that he was upset that Pokora followed him. The two men shared words, made phone calls and then the video shows the SUV driver backing up and hitting Pokora's car, which was blocking him in, twice.
Pokora said he's suprised this video wasn't enough for the Crown or the police ethics board to go ahead.
“I was very shocked. I thought the ontology department would at least have an independent review. Anything. Even just saying, ‘Okay we will press charges because the video speaks for itself.’ And then he has his day in court to prove whether or not he is innocent. What happened to that? I think he should be tried and judged by his peers, not by associations that have ties to the very organization he belongs to,” said Pokora.
As dramatic as the video is, police say it doesn't tell the whole story.
The officer was not disciplined for his actions, and the police ethics commission said it couldn't proceed with the complaint because he was off duty at the time.
Pokora, meanwhile, is the one facing charges: for harassment and intimidation. The case has yet to make it to trial - but Pokora said in spite of his mounting legal bills he intends to keep fighting for justice and is meeting with constitutional lawyer Julius Grey about the case.
