Lawsuit alleges Winnipeg police officer searched store without warrant, threatened employee

A man is suing a Winnipeg police officer who he alleges searched his workplace without a warrant, placed him in handcuffs and threatened to have him deported.

A statement of claim filed by Harjot Singh, who works as a clerk at a Sargent Avenue convenience store, says on Dec. 2, 2023, the officer — Jeffrey Norman — demanded entry to the shop while it was temporarily closed.

Singh unlocked the door "after a very brief interval" and let Norman inside, says the statement of claim, which was filed late last month in Manitoba Court of King's Bench. 

Shortly after, Norman — who was on duty at the time — placed Singh in handcuffs, told him he was under arrest for obstruction of a police officer and took his cellphone, according to the lawsuit.

Norman then proceeded to search the premises, but did not produce a warrant, the statement of claim says. 

During the course of the search, Norman questioned Singh and threatened him with deportation from Canada if he didn't co-operate. 

The search, which was "warrantless and unreasonable in the manner in which it was carried out," left Singh so shaken that he quit his job at the store, the lawsuit says. 

None of the allegations in the statement of claim have been tested in court. 

Suit calls for mandatory training 

The lawsuit claims the actions "amounted to battery, false imprisonment and arbitrary detention, unreasonable search and seizure," and a violation of Singh's Charter rights.

It also alleges that the officer's conduct was high-handed and "discriminatory on the basis of national or ethnic origin."

"It demonstrated an utter disregard and insensitivity to the constitutional rights and feelings of the plaintiff," the statement of claim says. 

The suit is asking for an unspecified amount in general, constitutional and punitive damages. 

It's also asking a judge to order the City of Winnipeg — which is named as a defendant, along with Norman — to implement a remedial education program for the Winnipeg Police Service to ensure police officers understand and uphold their legal and constitutional obligations during the course of their duties. 

No statements of defence have been filed yet. 

Past lawsuits

Norman, the officer involved in the lawsuit, has been named in at least two previous lawsuits alleging excessive use of force.

He was also involved in a 2019 incident investigated by Manitoba's police watchdog, after a cyclist alleged Norman pepper-sprayed him when he asked the officer to dim his police vehicle's headlights.

In that case, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said while "grounds exist to arrest the officer and lay a charge," it was "not satisfied that there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction," and no charge was laid against Norman.

During a February 2020 bail hearing, a defence lawyer for a man accused of theft told court that his client alleged Norman knocked him unconscious while off duty, after witnessing a theft at a Liquor Mart.

The man said he hit Norman over the head with a liquor bottle, and Norman then struck him in the face with the baton, causing him to black out, according to the defence lawyer. 

That incident wasn't reported to the province's police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit said later in 2020.