News Release
SIU Determines Officer Did Not Commit Criminal Offence in Connection with Collision with Motorcycle in Toronto
Case Number: 20-TVI-174
Around noon on July 15, 2020, a man was operating his motorcycle westward on Kingston Road in Toronto, and a woman occupied the backseat of the motorcycle. At the same time, a Toronto Police Service officer, en route to deal with a call for service involving a person having threatened suicide, was traveling eastward on Kingston Road. When the police officer proceeded to turn left at the Harewood Avenue intersection, the police vehicle became involved in a collision with the motorcycle. The 24-year-old motorcycle passenger suffered serious injuries. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined that while the officer caused the collision that regrettably caused serious injuries to the woman, there are no grounds for proceeding with criminal charges against the officer 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