A man accused of running over a Toronto police officer has pleaded guilty in court

TORONTO – A man accused of running over a Toronto police officer nearly three years ago tearfully apologized in court Thursday to the man's family, saying he didn't mean to hurt the officer and wanted him back.

Omar Zamir – who at the time said he thought his family was about to be robbed – told the packed courtroom that he couldn't stop thinking about Det Day. Const. Jeffrey Northrup is dead, and if he and his family had returned to their car a few minutes earlier or later, things would have been different.

“I wish it hadn't happened,” he said.

Zamir, a father of three, said he understands the bond between father and son and can't imagine the pain Northrup's children are going through.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your father,” she said. “I wish I could take it back.”

Zamir has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Northrup's death. The officer died on July 2, 2021 after being hit by a car in an underground parking garage.

The court heard earlier that Northrup and his partner – both dressed in plain clothes – were investigating the stabbing when they entered a garage below Toronto City Hall. Zamir was not involved in the stabbing.

Crown prosecutors say Zamir chose to make a series of maneuvers with his car that led to Northrup's death, but the defense says the officer's death was a tragic accident.

Defense attorneys said neither Zamir nor his wife — who was eight months pregnant at the time — were unaware that the men who approached them in the mostly empty garage were police officers. At that time, their two-year-old son was with them.

On the stand Thursday, Zamir described seeing the family get into the BMW and see an unidentified man and woman run toward the car. He said that he did not see them properly, but they were both wearing shorts.

Zamir said the couple did not say anything and did not see anything in their hands. “They didn't say 'police,'” he said. As they approached, the woman pointed to the hood, and Zamir said he thought she was asking him to turn off the engine.

“I was shocked,” said Zamir, who thought he and his family were about to be robbed.

Soon the woman knocked on the window and looked down again, which Zamir said could mean she wanted him to open the door or roll up the window. Instead, he locked the doors, he said.

Immediately, the pair hit the car and Zamir's son started crying, he said. Zamir said he wanted out of there, so he walked to the empty parking lot in front and headed for the lane.

That's when a dark gray van with tinted windows blocked their path and Zamir hit the brakes to avoid a collision, he said.

“I was shocked when I saw the van… I was very scared,” he said, thinking they were being attacked by a “gang” of unknown size.

Two people outside were still hitting the car and yelling at them to stop and get out, he said. Inside the car, Zamir said his wife was hyperventilating to the point where she couldn't pronounce his name correctly and thought she was in labor. Their son was still crying in pain, he said.

Zamir teared up as he remembered turning around in court and placing his hand on his son's lap.

When he turned back, the banging and screaming stopped, he said. “I thought I left them there,” he said of the people outside the van, near the van.

After leaving the road, Zamir started walking forward towards the exit, he said. He didn't see or hear anything in front of the car, he said. “All I heard was (my son) crying… there was no other sound,” she said.

He noticed he was going through what he thought was a speed bump, he said.

Zameer later described his “horror” when he discovered that what he thought was a speeder was actually a man and a police officer.

He recalled praying for the man's recovery as he was taken to the police station, and recalled being shocked to hear the man had died.

This Canadian Press report was first published on April 11, 2024.

Paola Lorijo, Canadian Press