News Release
Barricaded Man in Kitchener did not Receive Serious Injury; SIU Terminates Investigation
Case Number: 17-OCI-372
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into a December 2017 interaction that occurred between Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) officers and a 41-year-old man in Kitchener.
In the evening hours of December 22, 2017, WRPS officers were dispatched to a residence in Kitchener for a domestic disturbance. At one point, the man of interest barricaded himself inside a washroom on the second floor of the residence. After some negotiations, the man exited the washroom and he was taken into custody. The man was later taken to hospital.
Director Loparco said, “The medical evidence indicates the man did not suffer a serious 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