News Release
No Criminal Wrongdoing in Relation to Peterborough Arrest
Case Number: 18-PCI-133
On April 28, 2018, shortly after 2 a.m., a police officer stopped a vehicle and arrested the driver for impaired driving. When the vehicle passenger exited the vehicle and began to handle property seized from the driver that was on the hood of the vehicle, the officer directed him to stop what he was doing. The man refused and became belligerent. The officer arrested the man for public intoxication and obstruction, and in the process took him to the ground. The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against the officer in relation to the serious injury sustained by the 32-year-old 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