News Release
No Grounds to Proceed with Criminal Charges in Relation to Ottawa Pursuit
Case Number: 18-OVI-330
In the early morning hours of November 11, 2018, an Ottawa Police Service officer was on duty in his cruiser when he initiated a pursuit of a Cadillac sedan that had been reported stolen. When the driver attempted to make a left hand turn onto Lemoine Street from Lévis Avenue, he lost control of his vehicle, whereupon it collided with a utility pole at the southeast corner of the intersection. Paramedics were called to the scene and transported the 44-year-old driver and his two passengers – a 65-year-old female and 58-year-old male – to hospital, where they were treated for various fractures. 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 this case.
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