The mother of a 16-year-old boy seen on video being repeatedly punched by a Durham region officer says she turned to police because her son needed help — and now feels her trust was “violated.” “I entrusted the police to find him and take care of him,” the mother said in an interview Thursday. “If they are saying this is how they handle mental health checks of minors, or anybody … I really feel that it has to be reviewed and changed. Immediately.”The mother, whom the Star is not naming because it would identify the youth, has retained a lawyer and plans to launch a complaint with the provincial police watchdog, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director. She says her son suffered injuries to his face, right eye and neck during the May 15 incident, which did not result in any charges. “There are multiple aspects of (Durham police) behaviour which concern the family, particularly the use of force,” said Knia Singh, the mother’s lawyer.Durham police released a statement about the incident earlier this week after a six-minute video of the arrest began circulating widely online over the weekend. Police said the video has been sent to its professional standards unit for review, but that the officers involved are not under investigation.“The officers followed proper protocol based on the information provided,” Const. George Tudos said in a statement Monday. The statement said that the punches captured on video were necessary to “gain compliance of the male, who refused to make his hands available,” and that the call involved “a distraught male possibly armed with a knife.”The mother insists her concerns for his wellbeing had nothing to do with a knife, and a Durham police spokesperson confirmed that the mother did not mention a knife when she was communicating with police. The mother said she went into a police station near her son’s school after getti ...
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