Ex-police officer fired over high-speed chase fights dismissal in court

A former Calgary police officer says his dismissal from the force over an unauthorized high-speed chase was unjustified.

Anthony Braile held the rank of sergeant and was working as a supervisor in District 2 in December 2008 when he pulled over a suspected drunk driver. The suspect then drove away.

Despite telling dispatchers he was not following the truck, Braile chased the vehicle at high speeds for almost an hour, which is contrary to Calgary Police Service (CPS) policy.

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At one point, Braile used an internal messaging system to order a unit under his command help with the chase.

A cab driver was seriously injured when the vehicles headed the wrong way on a downtown street and the truck T-boned the taxi.

After keeping Braile on paid leave since the incident, the CPS fired him in February.

Braile is now appealing that decision to the Law Enforcement Review Board.

His lawyer, James Shymka, told the board on Tuesday that Braile had been on leave for severe depression, was under the care of CPS psychologists and been hospitalized prior to the chase incident.

When Braile returned to duty a few months later, he was supposed to have been assigned to administrative work, Shymka said.

But instead, officials pressured Braile to return to the streets because they needed a district supervisor, the lawyer said.

During Braile's disciplinary earlier this year, CPS officials admitted they misplaced the paperwork that listed his working restrictions.

On the night of the pursuit, Braile's anti-depressant medication triggered a manic episode, leading him to feel invincible, Shymka told the board.

Braile ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving under the Traffic Safety Act in 2013.

The lawyer for CPS will present its case on Tuesday afternoon.

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• Sgt. AnthonyBrailefired by Calgary police for high-speed chase