Charges Dropped from G-20 Arrest

Prosecutors in Toronto have dropped charges against a deaf man arrested during G-20 protests in 2010. Emomotimi Azorbo was taken into custody when police clashed with demonstrators during a downtown march. His lawyer says Azorbo was in the area just to see what was happening and not because he was part of the protests. When Azorbo was told to stay off the street, he did not understand, according to his lawyer, and a struggle began when officers tried to arrest him. Azorbo was charged with assaulting two policeman and resisting arrest. Those charges have now been dropped with Azorbo agreeing to stay out of trouble for the next six months. Azorbo, who grew up in Nigeria, was not provided an interpreter during his court appearances or during his 16 hours of detention - despite the fact that the Canadian Hearing Society offered its interpreting services to Toronto police during the G20 summit for free. Below is a video of Azorbo's confrontation with police.