News Release
No Charges Against Toronto Police Officer After Man Suffers Broken Nose
Case Number: 21-TCI-346
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe a Toronto Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the broken nose suffered by a 33-year-old man during his arrest last August.
On August 23, 2021, two officers attempted to arrest the man for mischief and assault. Police had information that he had set off a fire alarm and had seen him push a restaurant employee on Lakeshore Boulevard East. In the course of the man’s arrest, an officer grabbed his left arm. The man spun free of the officer’s hold, lost his balance, and fell on his back on an asphalt walkway. From the ground, the man flailed his legs and swung his arms in the officers’ direction, almost striking them. The subject official punched the man in the face and arrested him. The man was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured nose.
Director Martino concluded that the use of force by the subject official was legally justified in the circumstances. Accordingly, 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