News Release
SIU Discontinues Investigation into Injuries Suffered by Man During Arrest in London
Case Number: 21-OCI-252
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the injuries suffered by a 37-year-old man during his arrest by London Police Service and St. Thomas Police Service officers in June.
According to the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, the man was arrested while a search warrant was being executed at his home on June 8, 2021. He was taken to hospital following his arrest, where he was diagnosed with a soft tissue injury. Director Martino concluded that because the man was found to not have suffered serious injuries, the SIU was without jurisdiction in the matter. Accordingly, the file has been closed and the matter has been referred back to the police services involved for further investigation.
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
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES