News Release
SIU Investigating Incident in Barrie
Case Number: 11-OCI-048
Other News Releases Related to Case 11-OCI-048
Mississauga (21 March, 2011) --- Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the circumstances surrounding the custody injury of a man in police custody in Barrie on Saturday March 19, 2011.
On March 20, 2011 the Barrie Police Service (BPS) contacted the SIU and advised the following;
• At 6:30 p.m. officers from the BPS responded to a call in the area of the bus depot and arrested a man;
• The 38-year-old Barrie man was taken to the police station and lodged in a cell;
• At 11:00 p.m. the man was found to be in medical distress;
• He was transported to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie for treatment; and
• He was admitted to hospital and is presently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.
The SIU has assigned two investigators and one forensic investigator to probe the circumstances of this incident.
If you or someone you know is an affected person in need of support, please call the Affected Persons Program General Referral Line at 1-877-641-1897 or click here for more information: siu.on.ca/en/apc.php
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