News Release
SIU Terminates Brantford Investigation after Determining Injury Was Sustained Prior to Interaction with Police
Case Number: 19-OCI-041
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into an interaction that occurred last month between a 31-year-old man and Brantford Police Service officers.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 23, 2019, the man was arrested at a residence by Hamilton Police Service regarding a domestic assault, and he was taken to the Brantford Police Service station. Upon being booked, the man complained of a head injury and he was taken to hospital. He was diagnosed with a subdural hemorrhage.
Director Loparco said, “Police officers did not cause or contribute to the man’s injury. His injury was related to an altercation at a bar that had occurred shortly prior to his arrest. As such, 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