News Release
SIU Finds Windsor Officer did not Commit a Criminal Offence in Relation to Man’s Arrest and Injury
Case Number: 20-OCI-334
On December 2, 2020, a 39-year-old man was involved in an aborted police pursuit and two motor vehicle collisions in Windsor. The man was arrested and subsequently placed in a prisoner transport vehicle to be taken to the detention unit. While en route, the man lost consciousness and fell from the bench. The officer stopped, checked on the man, and the decision was made to take the man to hospital. At hospital, the man was diagnosed with a compression fraction of the spine. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’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