News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Man’s Arrest in Toronto
Case Number: 22-TCI-011
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Toronto Police Service (TPS) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the injury suffered by a 25-year-old man in January.
In the morning of January 16, 2022, officers were dispatched to a convenience store located at 2200 Martin Grove Road after police received a report of a theft that had just occurred. As a result of information that had been shared with the officers, they located a person of interest in a vehicle parked curbside on Provence Trail. The officers surrounded the vehicle with their cruisers. One of the officers left his cruiser and ordered the front seat passenger out of the vehicle at gunpoint. The man exited the vehicle and lowered himself to the ground at the officer’s direction. He was arrested, taken back to the station and lodged in a cell. The following day, concerned that the man had consumed illicit substances that he had secreted on his person, officers arranged to have him sent to hospital. While in hospital, the man was diagnosed with a brain bleed.
Director Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the arresting officer comported himself unlawfully in his dealings with the man. Accordingly, there was no basis to proceed with criminal charges in this case.
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.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES