News Release
Woman’s Fall from Restaurant Rooftop not Caused by Police; SIU Terminates Ottawa Investigation
Case Number: 18-OCI-049
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury sustained last month in Ottawa by a 24-year-old woman.
At approximately 7:45 a.m. on February 21, 2018, the Ottawa Police Service was called to a restaurant located on Somerset Street West in regards to a woman on the roof. Soon after one of the officers climbed onto the roof, the woman ran and then jumped onto a lower roof. Members of the Ottawa Fire Service removed the woman from the rooftop, and she was subsequently transported to hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured left ankle.
Director Loparco said, “The evidence establishes that no police officer caused or contributed to the woman’s injury. Accordingly I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
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