News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Downtown Toronto Arrest of Man
Case Number: 20-TVI-082
Other News Releases Related to Case 20-TVI-082
SIU Investigating After Man Struck by Police Cruiser in Toronto
On the evening of April 12, 2020, Toronto Police Service officers were dispatched to the area of King and Bathurst Streets in Toronto after 911 calls from citizens reported a robbery in progress. A man had attacked and was attempting to steal a bike from a person while brandishing a knife. Officers located the 28-year-old man and attempted to communicate with him. The man continued to walk as officers followed. On repeated occasions, conducted energy weapons were discharged at the man with the intention of incapacitating him sufficiently to allow for officers to move in safely and disarm him, but this was to no avail. Police vehicles were also used in an attempt to stop the man. When the man reached Front Street, an officer drove up behind the man and used the driver’s side front corner of the cruiser to strike him. The man fell and was arrested. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and subsequent admission to hospital.
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