Months after Ottawa police beat a young Black man in a case of mistaken identity, CBC News has obtained internal reports from the force that shed light on the severity of the violence, and what officers say they were thinking as they pursued the wrong suspect and attacked him with a stun gun.

The files identify the suspect officers were actually looking for, reveal that a Starbucks employee had called police with a mistaken report, and provide more detail about the level of force police used — including a closed-fist strike that caused an officer’s hand to bleed.

The documents confirm the broad strokes of the account Nyondagara gave of the incident — that he was chased, tackled and struck — but also suggest officers feared for their safety as they confronted and chased the 27-year-old in Orléans on the morning of Feb. 16.

Employees and patrons at the Starbucks on Innes Road had spotted someone they believed to be that suspect several times over the week of Feb. 10, and reported him to police. According to police, three separate members of the public believed that person to be the murder suspect.

Police rushed to the scene and confronted Niyondagara, who they believed was Bakal, after he left the Starbucks. They say he ignored commands and repeatedly moved his hands toward his waist. Some officers said Niyondagara appeared to be scoffing or smirking.