Ottawa police officer faces assault charges after on-duty incident

An Ottawa police officer faces two assault charges in connection with an incident while he was working as a patrol officer in the city. 

Const. Goran Beric was charged with assault and assault with a weapon stemming from an incident on Aug. 4, 2021, according to a police press release. 

Ottawa police did not share further details about what happened, adding they would "respect due process" as the case is now before the courts.

Police did say the investigation was transferred to the Waterloo Regional Police Service for transparency, per a review by the force's professional standards section. 

The incident did not fall within the mandate of Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU), police said. The SIU is tasked with investigating police actions that end in serious injury, death, or allegations of sexual assault.

Since the incident, Beric has been assigned to administrative duties, police said.

Beric was released on a promise to appear in court.