News Release
Force Used by Officers to Arrest Man in Ottawa Determined to be Justified
Case Number: 18-OCI-381
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-OCI-381
On the morning of December 31, 2018, the Ottawa Police Service was alerted to reports of a man violently assaulting a woman at the intersection of Booth and Wellington Streets. When an officer attempted to arrest the 26-year-old man, the man resisted, and a physical altercation ensued. Other officers arrived and the man was handcuffed and put in the backseat of a cruiser. He was subsequently taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured left orbital bone. The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against any officer in relation to the man’s injury.
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