Officers Relying On Previous Experience In Warrantless Arrests

Deandre Palmer, 2025 ONSC 5995

In the early hours of October 6, 2024, police officers drove into the parking lot of a strip club in Brampton and approached a group of men standing outside. Following a conversation with the accused and another individual, a struggle ensued between the police and the accused as he tried to run away.

Police searched the accused’s satchel and located a firearm. The accused was subsequently charged with firearm related offences. Following evidence elicited at a preliminary inquiry, the accused argued that police lacked objective grounds to perform an arrest and search and instead were performing “shakedowns” of racialized men in the vicinity of strip clubs. Ultimately, the accused was successful in excluding the firearm from evidence.