A Winnipeg couple is suing the city and several unidentified police officers, alleging a tactical team stormed the wrong condo unit during a raid, deploying flash-bang devices and shattering a glass door before realizing their mistake. The statement of claim, filed on Sept. 4 in the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba, names Saeid Ghavami and his spouse Shahla Shojaei as plaintiffs. Both are identified in the filing as academics and scientists at the University of Manitoba. According to the claim, the Winnipeg Police Service carried out what it describes as a “planned no-knock or dynamic tactical police operation” in the early morning of Jan. 31, 2025, at a condominium complex on Pembina Highway. The operation was meant to target a person connected to a different unit believed to be on the building’s third floor, it says. Instead, the suit alleges officers rappelled down from above the building to the couple’s fourth-floor balcony, deployed “diversionary explosive devices commonly referred to as flash-bang or stun devices,” and broke the patio door before forcing their way inside. It claims Ghavami was near the patio area at the time and that he “genuinely and reasonably believed that he was under violent attack and/or at imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm.” “Shortly after entering the residence, WPS officers realized or communicated that they had entered the wrong unit,” the claim states. The City of Winnipeg is named as a defendant, along with a number of unidentified Winnipeg Police Service officers, commanders and personnel involved in the operation, listed in the claim as John and Jane Does. It alleges the defendants failed to properly verify the building, floor, and unit before deploying tactical force, calling the operation “outrageous, grossly reckless, dangerous and a marked departure from the conduct expected of police officers.” The claim also notes that Ghavami and Shojaei immigrated to Canada from Iran, where they “experienced war, conflict and related trauma,” and alleges the city should have known that a violent tactical entry into an innocent household could cause psychological harm, including retraumatization. Home left damaged, couple allege The suit alleges the unit was left damaged and unsecured, scattered with broken glass and debris, and that the couple were not promptly offered medical assessment or temporary accommodation afterward. It alleges the unit was only boarded up against the cold winter weather after the couple objected to being left in an unsafe condition. “The plaintiffs state that … they were left to navigate repairs, claims, cleaning, safety concerns, insurance issues and the continuing physical and psychological aftermath largely on their own,” reads the filing. It alleges the actions amount to assault, trespass, unlawful use of force, and that they violated the couple’s rights under multiple sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Ghavami alleges he suffered acute stress and psychological trauma because of the raid in the filing, along with physical symptoms he attributes to the incident. The claim says the disruption cost him a Canadian Cancer Research Society operating grant worth roughly $135,000, along with other academic and professional opportunities. Shojaei alleges she has experienced ongoing distress, flashbacks, and related symptoms since the raid. The couple are seeking an unspecified amount in damages, as well aggravated and punitive damages. A City of Winnipeg spokesperson said the city has not yet been served with the claim. The Winnipeg Police Service declined to comment as the matter is before the court. None of the allegations have been tested in court, and no statement of defence has been filed yet.
