News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Niagara Falls Pursuit that Ended with Car Crashing into Building
Case Number: 19-PVI-153
Other News Releases Related to Case 19-PVI-153
The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into a pursuit in Niagara Falls that ended with a vehicle crashing into a building.
In the early afternoon hours of June 27, 2019, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers began pursuing a BMW which had been reported stolen. The driver of the vehicle was being investigated also for a series of other driving offences. While the BMW was traveling southbound on Drummond Road, it struck a police vehicle. The BMW then struck another vehicle, continued through a parking lot and crashed into a building located at 6293 Drummond Road. A 34-year-old woman inside the building was injured as a result of the collision, and subsequently transported to hospital for treatment.
Interim Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, which included a review of the 34-year-old woman’s medical records, I am satisfied that her injuries, consisting primarily of a laceration on one leg that was treated with nine sutures, do not in fact rise to the level of being a “serious injury” for purposes of the SIU’s mandate. This finding reflects the medical evidence which described the laceration as “superficial”. Accordingly, the SIU investigation is hereby discontinued without a determination made regarding any possible criminal conduct on the part of OPP police officers involved in the events culminating in the collision.”
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