Director's Report Details

The Special Investigations Unit is a civilian law enforcement agency that investigates incidents involving an official where there has been death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm at a person or an allegation of sexual assault. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019 (SIU Act), officials are defined as police officers, special constables of the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers under the Legislative Assembly Act. The SIU’s jurisdiction covers more than 50 municipal, regional and provincial police services across Ontario.

Under the SIU Act, the Director of the SIU must determine based on the evidence gathered in an investigation whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence was committed. If such grounds exist, the Director has the authority to lay a criminal charge against the official. Alternatively, in cases where no reasonable grounds exist, the Director cannot lay charges. Where no charges are laid, a report of the investigation is prepared and released publicly, except in the case of reports dealing with allegations of sexual assault, in which case the SIU Director may consult with the affected person and exercise a discretion to not publicly release the report having regard to the affected person’s privacy interests.

Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019

Pursuant to section 34, certain information may not be included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The name of, and any information identifying, a subject official, witness official, civilian witness or affected person.
• Information that may result in the identity of a person who reported that they were sexually assaulted being revealed in connection with the sexual assault.
• Information that, in the opinion of the SIU Director, could lead to a risk of serious harm to a person.
• Information that discloses investigative techniques or procedures.
• Information, the release of which is prohibited or restricted by law.
• Information in which a person’s privacy interest in not having the information published clearly outweighs the public interest in having the information published.

Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act

Pursuant to section 14 (i.e., law enforcement), certain information may not be included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Confidential investigative techniques and procedures used by law enforcement agencies; and
• Information that could reasonably be expected to interfere with a law enforcement matter or an investigation undertaken with a view to a law enforcement proceeding.

Pursuant to section 21 (i.e., personal privacy), protected personal information is not included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The names of persons, including civilian witnesses, and subject and witness officials;
• Location information;
• Witness statements and evidence gathered in the course of the investigation provided to the SIU in confidence; and
• Other identifiers which are likely to reveal personal information about individuals involved in the investigation.

Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004

Pursuant to this legislation, any information related to the personal health of identifiable individuals is not included.

Other proceedings, processes, and investigations

Information may also have been excluded from this report because its release could undermine the integrity of other proceedings involving the same incident, such as criminal proceedings, coroner’s inquests, other public proceedings and/or other law enforcement investigations.

Pursuant to section 15 of the SIU Act, the SIU may investigate the conduct of officials, be they police officers, special constables of the Niagara Parks Commission or peace officers under the Legislative Assembly Act, that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

A person sustains a “serious injury” for purposes of the SIU’s jurisdiction if they: sustain an injury as a result of which they are admitted to hospital; suffer a fracture to the skull, or to a limb, rib or vertebra; suffer burns to a significant proportion of their body; lose any portion of their body; or, as a result of an injury, experience a loss of vision or hearing.

In addition, a “serious injury” means any other injury sustained by a person that is likely to interfere with the person’s health or comfort and is not transient or trifling in nature.

This report relates to the SIU’s investigation into the serious injury of a 67-year-old man (the “Complainant”).

Notification of the SIU[1]

On December 5, 2025, at 5:35 p.m., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) contacted the SIU with the following information.

On December 5, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., the Haldimand Children’s Aid Society (CAS) were conducting two sexual assault investigations involving two young females. The suspect in the investigation was the Complainant. Upon completion of the interviews with the females, the CAS worker accidentally called the Complainant, informing him of the investigation. The Complainant told the CAS of his intention to kill himself and disconnected the phone. The CAS contacted the OPP, and efforts were made to ping the Complainant’s cellular phone; however, the Complainant deactivated his phone, which frustrated efforts to locate him. At 2:41 p.m., an OPP sergeant was searching the Dunnville area for the Complainant’s vehicle. The OPP sergeant stopped a civilian and asked if they had seen the vehicle. They told the sergeant that they had observed the vehicle near King Street and Northshore Road, Dunnville. At 2:59 p.m., the OPP sergeant reported this information to his dispatcher, and the Subject Official (SO) and the Witness Official (WO) (ERT officers) announced they had the Complainant’s vehicle in sight. The SO was driving and activated the emergency lights and siren. The Complainant refused to stop and continued driving at about 40 km/h. The officers overtook the Complainant and stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Northshore Drive and Rymer Road, Dunnville. As both officers approached the Complainant, he was observed to have a superficial stab wound to the chest and a significant cut to his neck. The OPP sergeant arrived, and all officers initiated first aid. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were called to the scene. The Complainant was taken to Haldimand War Memorial Hospital (HWMH), then airlifted to Hamilton Health Sciences Centre (HHSC) in stable condition.

The Team

Date and time team dispatched: 2025/12/05 at 6:10 p.m.

Date and time SIU arrived on scene: 2025/12/07 at 1:20 p.m.

Number of SIU Investigators assigned: 3

Number of SIU Forensic Investigators assigned: 1

Affected Person (aka “Complainant”)

67-year-old male; interviewed; medical records obtained and reviewed

The Complainant was interviewed on December 7, 2025.

Civilian Witness

CW Interviewed

The civilian witness was interviewed on December 9, 2025.

Subject Official

SO Declined interview, as is the subject official’s legal right; notes received and reviewed

Witness Official

WO Interviewed; notes received and reviewed

The witness official was interviewed on February 19, 2026.

The Scene

The events in question transpired in and around a vehicle stopped in the westbound lane of Rymer Road in the area of the roadway’s intersection with Northshore Drive, Haldimand.

Physical Evidence

Northshore Drive was a two-lane paved roadway aligned in a north/south direction. It intersected with Rymer Road, a two-lane paved roadway aligned in an east/west direction. The intersection was controlled by stop signs in all directions with an overhead light mounted on a power pole located on the southwest corner.

Video/Audio/Photographic Evidence[2]

OPP Communications Recordings

On December 5, 2025, at 11:58 a.m., OPP were said to be searching for the Complainant. The Complainant, suicidal and under investigation for sexual assault, had reportedly stated he was going into the bush and would never be seen again.

At 12:17 p.m., OPP requested a ping from Rogers of the Complainant’s phone. The ping was unsuccessful as the phone was off.

At 2:37 p.m., the CW observed the Complainant’s vehicle travelling on King Road towards Northshore Drive.

At 2:59 p.m., the SO located the Complainant and his vehicle at Rymer Road and Northshore Drive.

At 3:01 p.m., the SO reported the Complainant had cut his throat.

EMS were dispatched and arrived on scene at 3:25 p.m..

OPP In-car Camera (ICC) Footage - The SO’s Cruiser

On December 5, 2025, starting at 2:59:32 p.m., the SO was captured travelling west on Rymer Road behind the Complainant’s vehicle. Emergency lights and sirens were activated, and verbal instructions were directed at the Complainant to stop his vehicle.

Starting at 3:00:55 p.m., the SO stopped his police vehicle in front of the Complainant at Rymer Road and Northshore Drive.

Starting at 3:01:14 p.m., audio communications transmitted, “He cut his throat.”

Starting at 3:06:14 p.m., audio communications transmitted, “The male is still breathing, he was able to speak with us, lost a decent amount of blood, but he’s under control.”

Materials Obtained from Police Service

Upon request, the SIU received the following materials from the OPP on December 8, 2025:

• Handwritten letter from the Complainant
• Names, badge numbers, and call-signs and roles of involved police officers
• Notes - the SO and the WO
• General, Supplementary and Arrest Reports
• Body-worn camera footage - Sgt Richardson
• ICC footage
• Computer-aided Dispatch Report
• Communications recordings

Materials Obtained from Other Sources

The SIU obtained the following records from the following other sources between December 8, 2025, and December 9, 2025:

• The Complainant’s medical records from HWMH
• The Complainant’s medical records from HHSC

The evidence collected by the SIU, including interviews with the Complainant and a police eyewitness, gives rise to the following scenario. As was his legal right, the SO did not agree an interview with the SIU. He did authorize the release of his notes.

In the afternoon of December 5, 2025, the SO, operating an OPP cruiser with the WO his passenger, stopped a vehicle on Rymer Road in the area of Northshore Drive, Haldimand County. The Complainant was driving the vehicle. OPP officers had been on the lookout for the Complainant after he expressed suicidal ideations when he came to learn, earlier that day, that he was the subject of a sexual assault investigation.

As the officers exited the cruiser to make their way to his vehicle, the Complainant accessed a knife and used it to inflict a serious laceration across the left side of his neck. The SO and the WO observed the wound, contacted paramedics and attempted to apply first aid. When the Complainant tried to prevent the officers from helping him, he was handcuffed to allow the SO and the WO to provide emergency care.

The Complainant was transported to hospital and treated for a serious neck wound.

Sections 219 and 221, Criminal Code - Criminal Negligence Causing Bodily Harm

219 (1) Every one is criminally negligent who

(a) in doing anything, or

(b) in omitting to do anything that it is his duty to do,

shows wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons.

(2) For the purposes of this section, duty means a duty imposed by law.

221 Every person who by criminal negligence causes bodily harm to another person is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 10 years; or (b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.

The Complainant was seriously injured in the course of a traffic stop by OPP officers on December 5, 2025. The SIU was notified of the incident and initiated an investigation, naming the SO the subject official. The investigation is now concluded. On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the SO committed a criminal offence in connection with the Complainant’s injury.

The offence that arises for consideration is criminal negligence causing bodily harm contrary to section 221 of the Criminal Code. The offence is reserved for serious cases of neglect that demonstrate a wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons. It is predicated, in part, on conduct that amounts to a marked and substantial departure from the level of care that a reasonable person would have exercised in the circumstances. In the instant case, the question is whether there was a want of care on the part of the SO, sufficiently egregious to attract criminal sanction, that caused or contributed to the Complainant’s serious injury. In my view, there was not.

An officer’s foremost obligation is the protection and preservation of life. With information at their disposal that the Complainant might hurt himself, the SO and the WO were duty bound to do what they could to locate him and ensure he was okay.

During their brief interaction with the Complainant, there is no evidence of any want of care on the part of the SO or the WO. They quickly understood what the Complainant had done and acted with dispatch to provide him emergency medical care pending his transport to hospital.

For the foregoing reasons, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file is closed.

Date: April 2, 2026

Electronically approved by

Joseph Martino

Director

Special Investigations Unit