News Release
No Charges Against Hamilton Officers in Connection with Woman’s Arrest
Case Number: 22-OCI-005
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that two Hamilton Police Service (HPS) officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the arrest of a 35-year-old woman in June of 2021. The SIU was made aware of the incident in January of 2022.
On the morning of June 24, 2021, HPS officers were dispatched to a home following a call from the homeowner complaining that his former partner – the 35-year-old woman - had broken a window and was refusing to leave the property. The officers arrived at the address to find the woman sitting on a lawn chair in the backyard. Told that she would have to leave, the woman demurred and threatened the officers with violence if they tried to have her removed. As the officers moved in to take hold of her, the woman became aggressive with them, and an interaction ensued. The officers eventually wrestled control of the woman’s arms and she was transported to the police station. A few days later, the woman attended hospital and was diagnosed with fractures of two right-sided ribs.
While Director Martino accepted that the woman’s injuries might well have been incurred in the struggle with the officers, he was not satisfied that they were attributable to unlawful conduct on the part of any officer. The file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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