News Release
Man’s Fall from Dirt Bike Due to Lack of Attention;SIU Terminates Whitby Investigation
Case Number: 17-OVI-306
Other News Releases Related to Case 17-OVI-306
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into a serious injury sustained by a 23-year-old man last month in Whitby when he fell from his dirt bike in the parking lot of a shopping centre.
At approximately 11 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, a Durham Regional Police Service officer was operating a marked police vehicle eastbound on Bloor Street, just east of Thickson Road, when he observed two motorbikes traveling westbound. One of the motorbikes turned into the shopping centre located at 1650 Victoria Street East. When the man on this motorbike looked back and saw the police vehicle approximately 100 metres behind him with emergency lights flashing, he became startled. When the man looked forward, he noticed he was approaching a concrete curb. The man struck the curb and fell. He sustained a serious leg injury and was transported to hospital for treatment.
Director Loparco said, “It was the man’s lack of attention while driving, and not the action of the officer, that caused his injury. As such I am terminating this investigation.”
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