News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Vehicle Incident Investigation in Brantford

Case Number: 14-OVD-105   

Mississauga (22 September, 2014) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge a Brantford Police Service (BPS) officer with any criminal offence in relation to the injuries sustained by a 75-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man in May of this year. The incident also ultimately contributed to the man’s death on August 16, 2014.

The SIU assigned four investigators, 2 forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist to probe the circumstances of this incident.  Three witness officers and three civilian witnesses were interviewed.  The subject officer consented to an interview and also provided the SIU with a copy of his duty notes. 

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Wednesday, May 7, 2014: 

• Just after 7:00 p.m., the man was operating his vehicle southbound on Clarence Street approaching Greenwich Street.  He was accompanied by the woman, a friend of his, who was seated in the front passenger seat.
• The subject officer was on patrol in his BPS cruiser proceeding northbound on Clarence Street toward Greenwich Street.  
• The officer entered into the intersection on a green light.  At the same time, the man attempted to make a left turn onto eastbound Greenwich Street ahead of the officer’s cruiser.  
• The two vehicles collided.  
• Both the man and his female passenger sustained serious injuries and were transported to Brantford General Hospital for treatment.
• The female passenger took the brunt of the impact given her position in the vehicle and ruptured her spleen. 
• The man’s heart and lungs were bruised in the impact.  He never recovered from his injuries and ultimately died in hospital on August 16, 2014.  
• The subject officer did not suffer any injury.

 

Director Loparco concluded, “The subject officer had the right of way and was proceeding safely and lawfully through the intersection on a green light at the time of the collision.  The onus was on the man to yield to oncoming traffic and to refrain from making a left turn until such time as it was safe to do so.  He did not do so.   The evidence establishes that the officer was not responsible for the collision in question and the resulting casualties.”

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