News Release
No Basis to Proceed with Charges in Relation to St. Catharines Arrest
Case Number: 19-OCI-311
In the morning hours of December 29, 2019, Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) officers were dispatched to a Tim Hortons in St. Catharines for a reported assault. A 32-year-old man was arrested and placed in the police cruiser. Soon after the officers released the man conditionally, an interaction ensued, and the man was arrested and transported to the police station. He was subsequently taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken ankle. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an NRPS officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the Complainant’s arrest and 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