News Release
No Charges Against Toronto Police Officer After Man Falls from Scarborough Balcony
Case Number: 21-TCI-386
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 multiple spinal fractures suffered by a 29-year-old man after he fell from a second-floor balcony while fleeing police last November.
On November 10, 2021, officers received permission from the man’s mother to enter the apartment in the area of Eglinton Avenue East and Kennedy Road to arrest the man. When the officers entered, the man fled over the balcony. An officer attempted to grab the man to prevent him from jumping, but the man fell to the ground.
Director Martino found no reasonable grounds to believe that the subject official comported himself other than lawfully in his brief engagement with the man. 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=1865
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