News Release

News Release

SIU Appealing for Witnesses to Guelph Incident

Case Number: 15-OCI-154   

Mississauga (17 July, 2015) --- Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is appealing for witnesses to an interaction that occurred earlier this week in Guelph between a 30-year-old man and officers with the Guelph Police Service.

Preliminary information indicates the following:

• At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, Guelph Police Service officers were dispatched to the area of MacDonnell Street in regards to a naked 30-year-old man;
• After police located the man, there was an interaction between the man and officers;
• The man sustained a facial injury and was taken to Guelph General Hospital for treatment.

The SIU has assigned three investigators and one forensic investigator to probe the circumstances of this incident. One subject officer and four witness officers have been designated.

The SIU is urging anyone who may have witnessed the arrest to contact the Unit at 1-800-787-8529 ext. 2314.

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