News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Vehicle Injury Investigation in Cambridge

Case Number: 11-OVI-265   

Mississauga (29 February, 2012) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ian Scott, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge a Waterloo Regional Police Service officer with any criminal offence in regards to the injuries sustained by 20-year-old Allan Freure in December of 2011.

The SIU assigned three investigators and one forensic investigator to probe the circumstances of this incident.  The subject officer supplied a copy of his duty notes and submitted to an interview with the SIU.  Two witness officers and four civilian witnesses were interviewed.

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Monday, December 26:
• In the evening hours, the subject officer was parked in his marked cruiser in the parking lot of the Dixon Arena when he received information that Mr. Freure was intoxicated and upset, and was in an SUV in the parking lot of the local library.
• The subject officer drove to the local library, and saw the vehicle in question.  Mr. Freure started his vehicle, reversed out of the parking lot at excessive speed, and accelerated northbound on George Street. The subject officer began a pursuit after the vehicle. The pursued vehicle disobeyed the stop sign at Blair Road, and continued north at excessive speed on George Street.   The subject officer discontinued his pursuit just north of Blair Road. 
• A short time later, Mr. Freure’s vehicle struck a hydro pole near Park Hill Road.
• Mr. Freure sustained minor injuries to his sacrum region, a lacerated liver and internal bleeding as a result of the collision.
• The pursuit lasted approximately 20 seconds over a distance of 100 metres. 

Director Scott said, “In my view, the subject officer had the lawful authority to enter into a suspect apprehension pursuit pursuant to s. 3 of the Suspect Apprehension Regulation to the Police Services Act; he had information that the complainant may have been driving while impaired, and saw the probable suspect attempting to elude the police. He discontinued the pursuit as soon as he became aware of potential risk to public safety. Mr. Freure chose to continue to drive in a reckless manner leading to the collision with the hydro pole. He is regrettably the author of his own misfortune.”

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