Three off-duty Toronto police officers were arrested in Barcelona in connection with a sexual assault that occurred in the early hours of 13 May, according to Catalan police and local media reports. The officers were reportedly in a taxi with a sex worker in the Ciutat Vella neighborhood when the alleged incident took place.

Alleged Violence and Aftermath

El Periódico de Catalunya reported that the officers allegedly attempted to force the woman into a sexual encounter; When she refused, they are said to have become violent, insulting and threatening her before physically assaulting her. One officer allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, while another reportedly punched her in the face, causing a cut above her eyebrow that required stitches due to profuse bleeding.

The victim reportedly called for help from the taxi window. When plainclothes officers from Barcelona’s municipal police force stopped the taxi and ordered the occupants out, one of the Canadian officers allegedly reacted violently, while another,said to have struck the woman,ran away.

Two of the officers were arrested at the time, and a third fled the scene. A spokesperson for the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, said one of the two men arrested in Barcelona has been charged with sexual assault and assault, while the other was released on bail. The third officer was arrested on 15 May in Palma de Mallorca, with assistance from the Guardia Civil.

Canadian Authorities Respond

Local media in Barcelona first reported the arrests, which were later confirmed by the Toronto police service on 18 May; the police force did not immediately provide a detailed explanation for its lack of prior disclosure about the arrests.

A Toronto police spokesperson described the allegations as “serious” but did not name the officers involved, the police service declined to comment further, stating that the matters are now before the court.

The incident adds to ongoing scrutiny of the Toronto police force, which is already reeling from a major corruption investigation; In recent months, at least eight officers have been charged in what is known as Project South. These charges include accepting bribes. Aiding drug traffickers. Leaking personal information to criminals who then carried out shootings, and assisting members of organized crime in a plot to murder a corrections officer.

Broader Implications

The Toronto police chief described the investigation as having revealed the “corrosive” influence of organized crime within Canada’s largest municipal police service, However, none of the officers arrested in Barcelona have been publicly linked to Project South.

The Toronto police association, which represents the officers, acknowledged the incident involving three of its members but did not offer additional details — “Given these charges relate to an off-duty incident, the Toronto police association has no further comment,” the association stated.