An off-duty Ottawa police officer accused of attacking a taxi driver at the Ottawa International Airport has been acquitted of assault charges after the judge ruled he acted in self defense.

Justice Grant Radley-Walters delivered his verdict Friday morning, finding Const. Shyldon Safruk not-guilty of assault causing bodily harm.

"I find the accused acted in self defense," the Pembroke judge ruled.

He added he believed the fight was "consensual" and the Crown did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Safruk had argued he was almost killed in a traffic incident involving a taxi driver on the Airport Parkway in May 2009. He told the court he followed the driver to the airport because he was planning to arrest the man.

However, Safruk was off-duty at the time and failed to immediately pull out his badge. The judge ruled everything happened so quickly, there likely wasn't enough time for Safruk to show his police identification.

Although the fight was broken up quickly, taxi driver Sami Aldoboni broke his wrist during the altercation.

Radley-Walters ruled although the off-duty police officer pushed the taxi driver first, Aldoboni retaliated by swinging a punch. He missed and stumbled to the ground. The judge said that was likely how Aldoboni broke his wrist.

The Crown and defence both agreed with a doctor's report that concluded Aldoboni's injuries are consistent with those caused by falling on an outstretched hand. However, the report did say there could be other causes.

Although Safruk was not available for comment, his lawyer said he was happy with the ruling.

"At the very least it was a consensual fight, and more likely on all of the evidence, Mr. Safruk was defending himself from a very aggressive Aldoboni," lawyer Bill Carroll told reporters outside the courthouse.

Despite the ruling, Aldoboni says his fight isn't over. He plans to proceed with a $500,000-civil lawsuit against Safruk.

Police are now conducting their own investigation into Safruk's conduct. Chief Vern White says the investigation will probe whether the officer used excessive force and if he identified himself as a police officer at all.

Despite the police investigation, the head of the taxi union says his members are angry.

"It seems like there is two types of justice -- one for law enforcement; one type for general people like you and me," said Amrik Singh, of CAW Local 1688.

Union leaders met with Ottawa's police chief on Friday in an effort to mend fences. They plan another meeting on Tuesday.

Safruk, a member of the Ottawa police marine unit, has been on administrative duty since the charges were laid. It's expected Safruk will return to active duty quickly as a result of the not-guilty verdict.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins