News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Arrest of Man in Ottawa
Case Number: 18-OCI-378
Then Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the arrest of a 46-year-old man on December 1, 2018 by Ottawa Police Service (OPS) officers. The SIU was notified of this incident on December 24, 2018.
Shortly after midnight on December 1, 2018, an OPS officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle at the intersection of Holland Avenue and Carling Avenue. Despite the officer asking the driver numerous times to produce his identification, the driver refused to do so. Additional OPS officers attended the scene. The man was placed under arrest and when asked to exit the vehicle, he complied. The man was searched and then released from the scene with Promise to Appear notices. The next day, the man went to hospital for treatment of swelling and pain in both of his wrists.
Then Director Loparco said, “The medical evidence establishes that the man did not suffer a serious injury during his interaction with the police. 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