News Release
SIU Updates Investigation into Collision in Ottawa
Case Number: 05-OVD-152
Other News Releases Related to Case 05-OVD-152
Preliminary information from the investigation indicates that an OPS officer was traveling in a marked police cruiser to a police station with an arrested person in the car. The cruiser was traveling on Riverside Drive and became involved in a collision with a taxi cab at the intersection of Heron Road and Riverside Drive.
There were two female passengers in the cab and one of them suffered fatal injuries. She has been identified as Natalie Sylvestre, 20 years of age. The cab driver suffered head injuries and the second female passenger suffered minor injuries. They were taken to the hospital where they were treated and released. The officer and occupant in the cruiser were not seriously injured.
The SIU has designated one subject and four witness officers from the OPS as part of the probe. The SIU is appealing to anyone who witnessed this incident or who has any information to contact the Unit at 416-622-1957 or 1-800-787-8529.
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