News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Man’s Arrest at OPP Rockland-Clarence Detachment
Case Number: 20-PCI-290
In the early morning hours of November 1, 2020, a 26-year-old man was at the OPP detachment in Rockland, having been arrested for drunk driving. After the release papers were signed, and while in the parking lot, the man became belligerent, and when he threatened to kill the officers, he was told he was under arrest. An officer forced the man to the ground face first, and a physical altercation ensued in the course of which the man was punched multiple time to the face by the officers. He was ultimately handcuffed and transported to hospital where his fractured nose was diagnosed. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any 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