News Release
SIU Terminates Toronto Investigation after Determining Man Sustained Injury When He Fell While Running Away from Police
Case Number: 18-TCI-324
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the November 2018 arrest of a 19-year-old man in Toronto.
In the afternoon hours of November 3, 2018, a Toronto Police Service officer was in the area of Thorncliffe Park Drive when he saw a man who had breached a release condition. When the man saw the police cruiser, he ran away, but fell several times in the process. The police officer caught up to the man and arrested him. The man was taken to the police station, and then transported to hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken wrist.
Director Loparco said, “The video evidence shows that the man fell on numerous occasions while trying to run from police. His injury occurred when he fell, and had nothing to do with the conduct of the officers. 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