Ottawa police officer charged with assaulting cabbie
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 | 3:03 PM ET
CBC News
Sami Aldoboni, an Ottawa cab driver, said his arm was broken by a man who identified himself as an off-duty police officer. (CBC)An Ottawa police officer has been charged after a taxi driver was assaulted at the Ottawa International Airport last month.
The officer, Const. Shyldon Safruk, 35, was off-duty when the alleged assault took place, but he'll be given a desk job with police until the case has gone to court.
The taxi driver, Sami Aldoboni, 43, said that he was driving his cab south along the Airport Parkway when an aggressive driver in a grey sport utility vehicle began to tailgate him.
Aldoboni said that when he arrived at the airport, the driver followed him into the parking lot to the area where taxis line up to wait for fares.
The driver, Aldoboni alleges, then got out of the SUV and attacked Aldoboni, breaking his wrist and fingers.
Aldoboni and other drivers said the man then showed a police ID badge when police officers based at the airport arrived.
Two of those officers, the taxi drivers said, then got into the back of the man's SUV and drove away with him.
A six-week investigation by the province's Special Investigations Unit followed, which led to charges being laid against Safruk.
Ottawa Police Chief Vern White visited with drivers, including Aldoboni, at the airport when news of the alleged attack first broke last month.
On Tuesday afternoon, after news of the charges was released, White made that trip again.
"We have a very good relationship with the cab drivers in the city," said White before making his way to the airport.
"I tell everyone that they're the eyes and ears of this city — at 3 a.m. often. And they're very helpful to us when it comes to investigating."
White said he wants the city's taxi drivers to understand that "whatever else happens, that was not an issue between these two organizations."
Safruk is set to appear in court on July 9.
