News Release
Man’s Injury Sustained in North Bay Cell Self-inflicted and not Serious; SIU Terminates Investigation
Case Number: 18-OCI-010
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the injury sustained by a 27-year-old man who was lodged in a police station cell in North Bay last month.
At approximately 11 p.m. on January 17, 2018, North Bay Police Service officers arrested the man for various offences, and lodged him in a cell. A couple of hours later, the man stood on the bunk in his cell, and intentionally fell head first into the steel toilet near the bunk. The man was transported to hospital where he was treated for a laceration.
Director Loparco said, “The evidence shows the man’s injury was self-inflicted. As well, medical records confirm the injury was not serious in nature. For these reasons, this investigation has been terminated.”
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations