News Release
Brantford: No Charges to Issue after Police Cruiser Ran Over Man who - Unbeknownst to Officer – was Lying in Front of Vehicle
Case Number: 18-OVI-147
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-OVI-147
On May 19, 2018, a Brantford Police Service (BPS) officer responded to a radio call to attend a residence on Market Street for a possible domestic dispute. While the officer was inside the residence responding to the call, unbeknownst to him, a 25-year-old man, who had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol and who suffered from mental health issues, approached the officer’s police vehicle and lay down on the roadway in front of it. The officer returned to his police vehicle at approximately 1:50 a.m. and put the vehicle in motion, pinning the man underneath it. A tow truck removed the police vehicle, allowing the man to crawl out. The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges in relation to the serious injury sustained by the man.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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