News Release
No Charges Against Toronto Police Officer After Man’s Orbital Bone Fractured at Toronto’s CAMH
Case Number: 21-TCI-305
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Toronto Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the broken orbital bone suffered by a 28-year-old man at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health last September.
On September 13, 2021, officers arrested the man on a number of grounds, including theft. During the course of the arrest, the officer punched the man once on the right side of his face, followed by a second punch that may or may not have landed.
Director Martino was unable to reasonably conclude that the subject official’s use of force was excessive given the need to quickly and decisively bring the man under control. 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
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SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES