News Release

SIU Discontinues Investigation into Woman’s Fall from Ottawa Hotel Window

Case Number: 22-OCI-147   

Mississauga, ON (6 July, 2022) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injuries suffered by a 23-year-old woman on June 3, 2022 in Ottawa. 

In the afternoon of the day in question, the woman was staying in a fourth-floor room of a Hampton Inn in Ottawa when she heard a knock on the door. She approached the door and heard someone say from the other side that they were police and to open the door.  Uncertain who was on the other side of the door, the woman attempted to escape by breaking through the glass of a room window and jumping. She landed on a first-floor structure and fractured bones in the process.  Meanwhile, another person in the room opened the door to several plainclothes police officers.  

Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, Director Martino determined it was plain and obvious that the officers did nothing to contribute to the woman’s injuries that could conceivably attract criminal sanction. As there was patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer was concerned, the file has been closed.

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