News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Man Seriously Injured During St. Catharines Arrest
Case Number: 24-OCI-441
The Special Investigations Unit found no reasonable grounds to believe a Niagara Regional Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the serious injury suffered by a 60-year-old man. On October 17, 2024, officers went to an apartment the area of Bloomfield Avenue and Dundonald Street to execute warrants in effect for the man’s arrest. He refused to surrender.
After obtaining a Feeney warrant to enter, the officers located the man in the bedroom. The man resisted, kicking and punching at an officer before he was handcuffed.
While Director Joseph Martino accepted that the man’s orbital bone was fractured during his arrest, perhaps via a punch delivered by the subject official, there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the injury was attributable to any unlawful conduct on the part of the arresting officers.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
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
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES