News Release
No Charges Warranted in Relation to Trenton Collision
Case Number: 20-PVI-119
On May 22, 2020, a 24-year-old man was seriously injured in Trenton when his vehicle lost control, careened into a ditch and rolled over several times. Moments before the collision, an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer has been pursuing the vehicle. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the OPP officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the collision and the man’s 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