News Release
Officer Did Not Cause or Contribute to Sarnia Motorcycle Collision; No Charges to Issue
Case Number: 19-OVI-220
In the early morning hours of September 11, 2019, the Sarnia Police Service received a report of a motorcycle having been stolen. Shortly thereafter, the motorcycle was spotted and two officers in separate vehicles attempted to stop it. The motorcycle operator, a 35-year-old man, lost control of the motorcycle and crashed it in an intersection. He was transported to hospital where he was diagnosed with having sustained a fractured right arm. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer either caused or contributed to the collision in question, or otherwise drove dangerously in violation of the Criminal Code.
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