News Release
No Basis to Lay Charges Against Officer in Connection with Arrest of Man in Ottawa Apartment
Case Number: 21-OCI-025
On January 21, 2021, Ottawa Police Service officers attended an apartment to arrest a 56-year-old man in relation to a domestic disturbance involving his former girlfriend. Officers were let into the residence, and they permitted the man to go into a bedroom to get changed and to call his lawyer. When the man did not come out after a period of time, an officer attempted to open the door but the man closed it shut. The officer then rammed the door open with his body weight and the man was apprehended shortly after. At hospital, the man was diagnosed with fractured left-sided ribs. 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 injuries.
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