News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into Woman’s Broken Foot During Arrest in Lambton County

Case Number: 26-PCI-111   

Mississauga, ON (2 July, 2026) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the fractured left foot suffered by a 23-year-old woman during her arrest. On March 8, 2026, OPP officers were called to an apartment in rural Lambton County for a welfare check involving the woman and her son. The male was arrested for assault, and the woman was arrested for breach of a no-contact condition. While she was being escorted down an exterior staircase, the officer stepped on the woman’s shoeless left foot. The woman was taken to hospital for treatment.

Director Martino found that the woman was angry at the officer for preventing her from putting on socks and for how hard the officer was holding her left arm as they went down the stairs. She argued with him to release her arm, twisting and turning her body. The officer said he accidentally stepped on her foot due to the narrow staircase. The body worn camera footage did not capture the incident. On this record, with no reason to believe the allegation of intentional force is any closer to the truth than the officer’s account of what happened, the evidence does not reasonably establish excessive force by the officer.

Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): 

If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by an incident under SIU investigation and would like support, the Affected Persons Program is here to help. You can reach us at 1-877-641-1897. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7, every day of the year.

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, 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