Alberta pair suing police for $1.5M after ‘no-knock’ raid found nothing
Posted Apr 12, 2022 2:35 pm.
Last Updated Apr 12, 2022 5:11 pm.
Two Albertans are suing police after a botched raid two years ago left them with trauma and parts of their home destroyed, all from being wrongfully targetted.
Joshua Bennett and Jennifer Hacker were at their home just outside of Calgary, when an Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) team, including RCMP tactical officers led by a Calgary police officer, broke into the home.
Tear gas was fired inside the house leaving markings on the walls and roof, windows were broken and the pair were handcuffed at gunpoint. This all came after a false tip was sent to police that claimed there were drugs inside the house.
“They executed, what they call a ‘dynamic entry’ into the home with many police officers, many police vehicles there,” said Tom Engel, a lawyer representing the couple.
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“(Police used) a battering ram to go through the living room window, used unnecessary and excessive force on my clients, and then kidnapping them and taking them to Calgary when they had no basis to do so.”
Police ended up finding no drugs in the home but managed to cause tens of thousands of dollars in damages. On top of the damage to the home, the couple is still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Their relationship broke up, they can’t work. It’s just been a disaster for them,” Engel said.
Engel says police did an internal review and found officers did nothing wrong and, according to Engel, the RCMP has refused to pay for the thousands of dollars in damages to the home.
“No criminal charges were laid, and in the end, it was a disaster.”
This lack of accountability on the police’s part is what led the pair to file the $1.5 million lawsuit, according to Engel.
Both the Calgary Police Service and ALERT have yet to be served with the lawsuit.
