News Release
No Charges Against OPP Officer After Woman Suffers Broken Collarbone in Fort Frances
Case Number: 21-PCI-322
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that an OPP officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a fractured left collarbone suffered by a 29-year-old woman in the course of her arrest last September.
In the early hours of September 27, 2021, an officer arrested two women for trespassing on the driveway of a residence on Walker Avenue. One of the women refused to surrender, and the subject official took her to the ground and then handcuffed her.
Director Martino accepted that the woman’s serious injury resulted from pressure brought to bear on her left shoulder as she was taken down by the officer; however, there was insufficient evidence to reasonably conclude the force used by the subject official was unlawful. 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=1783
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