News Release
No Charges Against Cobourg Police Officer After Man Suffers Broken Elbow
Case Number: 21-OCI-350
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Cobourg Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a fractured left elbow suffered by a 45-year-old man in the course of his arrest last October.
On October 17, 2021, officers were called to an apartment on University Avenue West for an alleged assault. During the man’s arrest, he tried to pull away and an officer pulled him to the ground by his left arm. He was taken to hospital and diagnosed with the injury.
Director Martino accepted that the man’s serious injury resulted from the takedown; 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):
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