News Release
No Charges Against OPP Officer After Man Broke Ankle During Arrest in Guelph
Case Number: 21-PCI-294
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 broken left ankle suffered by a 46-year-old man in Guelph last September.
On September 5, 2021, officers from the Rockwood Detachment attempted to arrest a man for threatening a woman at her residence. The man resisted arrest, and an officer struck the man twice, while another officer discharged a Conducted Energy Weapon.
Director Martino found no reasonable grounds to believe that the officers who engaged with the man comported themselves other than lawfully. The file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
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