News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Man’s Fall from Toronto Apartment Balcony
Case Number: 20-TCI-036
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the falling injuries sustained by a 43-year-old man in February in Toronto.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. on February 7, 2020, Toronto Police Service arrived at the 3rd floor unit of an apartment building on Neptune Drive following a complaint to police about a domestic disturbance in the apartment. Before the officers entered the unit, the man jumped from the balcony to the ground below to evade police. Officers located the man on the ground below, and he was transported to hospital for treatment of spine, neck and rib fractures.
Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, there is patently nothing to further investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer is concerned in connection with the man’s injuries. In the circumstances, the SIU investigation is hereby discontinued, and the file is closed.”
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