News Release
SIU Discontinues St. Thomas Investigation
Case Number: 21-OCI-083
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into an incident last month in St. Thomas.
In the early morning hours of March 16, 2021, a 20-year-old man attended the St. Thomas Police Service headquarters and began consuming alcohol while in the lobby. The man would not leave the premises, and was subsequently arrested and lodged in a cell. While in the cell, the man stumbled, falling and hitting his head against the concrete wall. This was captured on camera. Transported to hospital in ambulance, the man was suspected of having suffered a brain hemorrhage.
Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, I am satisfied that the SIU’s investigation should be discontinued at this time, as subsequent imaging at hospital ruled out the man having suffered a brain hemorrhage. In the circumstances, as the man did not suffer a “serious injury” within the mandate of the SIU, the Unit is without statutory jurisdiction in this case and the file is closed.”
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