An Etobicoke man has been charged with assault after allegedly punching a parking enforcement officer who gave him a ticket.
According to police, the officer issued a parking tag to an illegally parked truck on Haimer Avenue (near Kipling and Steeles West avenues) on Saturday, Sept. 4 at around 7:20 p.m.The owner of the truck then approached the officer and allegedly punched him in the face, said Const. Tony Vella."It sounds like he had been cautioned before not to park his vehicle there," he said. "Then, without provocation on Saturday, the man just came out of his house and, without saying a word, punched (the officer) in the face."After picking himself off the ground, the officer radioed the police for help. The man was arrested a short time later while trying to drive away in his vehicle, Vella said. The assaulted officer was initially "shaken up," but is now in fine condition, he added.Staford Wright, 67, of Etobicoke, has been charged with assault. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Oct. 11.If convicted, he could face a hefty fine, probation or possibly jail time. Parking tickets range from $30 to $200, Vella said. "What I've been telling people is the best thing to do if you have a defence and you want to dispute a parking ticket is take it to court and dispute it that way - that's your right. The last thing you want to do is consider resorting to violence against the officer, because they're just doing their job," Vella cautioned. "By doing this, the man is now facing criminal charges. His lawyer's fees are going to be more than $30 to a couple hundred dollars, and if he is convicted that means a criminal record, which will hinder him from travelling or gaining employment - plus, it's an embarrassment."