Jaimal Sodhi says he was driving to his job at Pearson Airport when he noticed someone following close behind.
It was July 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sun hadn't yet risen as Sodhi made his way west through the city around 4:30a.m.
He may have been speeding, Sodhi admits. Few cars were on the road at that hour, especially amid lockdown restrictions. He figured the person behind him was in a hurry, but the single-lane roadway didn't allow him to move aside, even as the vehicle edged "dangerously" close to him.
Sodhi, who was 22 at the time, says he couldn't clearly see the taller vehicle behind him, its lights reflecting in his mirror.
As he headed toward the Gardiner Expressway on-ramp, the driver beside him moved out to the right lane and accelerated until they were in line with his car.
"I kind of look over a little bit and I'm like, 'Oh, that's a police car. Why is he driving like this?""
What happened next, in a matter of minutes, sparked a complaint and led to charges of misconduct against a Toronto police constable. The charges were eventually dismissed due to procedural delays, but Sodhi and his family are still fighting for what they can consider some form of accountability.
The officer involved, meanwhile, denies the allegations of misconduct and insists he acted lawfully "based on the information available to him" that day.
The Star has reviewed several reports about what happened, including an investigative report from the police's professional standards unit, which detailed video of the incident.
What follows is a story of different, conflicting sides and what investigators have concluded so far.
Things got dramatic in a hurry.
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