News Release
SIU Discontinues Investigation into Man’s Fall While Fleeing Toronto Police
Case Number: 24-TCI-535
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has discontinued an investigation into multiple fractures suffered by a 34-year-old man in a fall in Toronto last December.
In the early morning of December 17, 2024, officers were called to an apartment building in the area of Sherbourne Street and Dundas Street East in relation to a domestic assault. Officers had just taken into custody another male when they heard a thud in the background. There was an arrest warrant in effect for the man, who was in a bedroom in a unit. Aware of the police present, the man attempted to escape apprehension by jumping from the bedroom window into the laneway at the back of the building. He had had no interaction with police at the time of his fall.
The impact with the ground resulted in fractures to his left heel, right hip and back. Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, including an interview with the man and video footage that captured the incident in part, it was plain and obvious that the police did nothing that could conceivably attract criminal liability in connection with the man’s injuries. Accordingly, there being patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of the police was concerned, the file has been closed.
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