News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Pursuit of Truck that Collided with Traffic Control Signal Pole in Minesing
Case Number: 20-PVI-080
In the early morning hours of April 12, 2020, several Ontario Provincial Police officers were dispatched from the Nottawasaga detachment to investigate two men who were going in and out of vehicles in Angus. When officers observed a truck which had been stolen, they briefly pursued the truck. Hearing radio transmission of the truck heading in her direction, an officer, of the Huronia West detachment, observed the truck and began pursuing it. Shortly after, the driver lost control of the truck and crashed into a traffic control signal pole. The 24-year-old driver was subsequently arrested and taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined the Huronia West detachment officer comported herself within the confines of the law as she briefly pursued the truck before the collision. Accordingly, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case and the file is closed.
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