News Release

News Release

SIU Investigating Vehicle Injury in Hamilton

Case Number: 13-OVI-224   

Mississauga (9 September, 2013) --- Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the circumstances surrounding the injury sustained by a 50-year-old man in Hamilton this weekend. 

Preliminary information indicates the following:
• Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7, 2013, an officer with the Hamilton Police Service attempted to stop a vehicle. When the driver of the Honda did not stop, the officer proceeded to follow it;
• The first officer lost sight of the vehicle, but soon after a second officer observed the vehicle and began following it;
• Shortly after, the Honda, which was traveling southbound on Hess Street, collided with a Kia traveling eastbound on Herkimer Street. The Kia struck a bus shelter on the southeast corner of the intersection. A man standing in the shelter was taken to hospital for treatment of a fractured leg.

The SIU has assigned three investigators, two forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist to probe the circumstances of this incident. At this time, two subject officers and one witness officer have been designated. 

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