News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Broken Cheekbone During Barrie Arrest
Case Number: 24-OCI-493
The Special Investigations Unit found no reasonable grounds to believe a Barrie Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the fractured left cheekbone suffered by a 30-year-old man. On November 16, 2024, an officer stopped a vehicle in relation to a stabbing investigation. Two males fled from the vehicle, with one holding a handgun. The officer pursued one of the men. The man ended up hiding in a bush and began to crawl out, acting on another officer’s orders, when the officer kicked him in the head. The officer dropped his weight onto him and handcuffed him.
Director Joseph Martino found that although the officer ended up chasing the male who he did not observe with the gun, the mistake was reasonable in the fraught circumstances of the moment. With respect to the force used, Director Martino found the evidence fell short of reasonably establishing it was excessive as the officer’s line of sight was obstructed by the bush and he had only seconds to react. Further, the officer explained in his SIU interview that neither officer could be sure whether the firearm was still on the man’s person.
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.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES