News Release
No Charges Against Ontario Provincial Police Officer After Man Injured in Pembroke Crash
Case Number: 21-PVI-203
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that an Ontario Provincial Police officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the serious injury suffered by a 33-year-old man after he crashed into a ditch during a pursuit in Pembroke last July.
On July 1, 2021, an OPP officer initiated the pursuit of the driver of a pickup truck after he learned via a 911 call that the man had reportedly assaulted his partner and was driving a stolen vehicle. While Director Martino said that the subject officer’s speeds during the pursuit were a danger to public safety, he was unable to reasonably conclude that the officer’s actions were a marked departure from a reasonable level of care. Therefore, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case and the file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://siu.on.ca/en/directors_report_details.php?drid=1620
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