News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Halton Police-Involved Crash in Georgetown
Case Number: 22-OVI-087
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that any Halton Regional Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the serious injury suffered by a 28-year-old man in a collision in March.
In the early hours of March 24, 2022, the man was with two others in a stolen SUV in the area of Roydon Place and Rosefield Drive when approached by police officers in several cruisers. Police responded after receiving a 911 call from a home of people trying to break into a mailbox. The same individuals were also believed to have been involved in a robbery at a Circle K store nearby. Officers attempted to use their cruisers to block the SUV in the dead-end street. The man, driving the SUV, mounted the curb and tried to flee, striking a concrete light standard. Police arrested the man and his associates. The man was diagnosed with a fractured left clavicle from the collision.
Director Martino found no evidence to establish that any of the officers involved in the pursuit of the man transgressed the limits of care prescribed by the criminal law. Accordingly, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case, and 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