News Release
SIU Determines No Grounds to Charge Officer in Relation to Mississauga Collision
Case Number: 22-OVI-097
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Peel Regional Police (PRP) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a Mississauga collision that occurred in March, resulting in a 24-year-old man being seriously injured.
On March 31, 2022, PRP officers were on routine patrol when, in the area of Torbram Road and Steeles Avenue in Brampton, they ran a check on the licence plates of a Dodge Charger. The check revealed that they had recently been reported stolen in Halton. The officers followed the vehicle as it as it began to travel onto northbound Torbram Road towards Steeles Avenue. The man turned right to travel east on Steeles Avenue, thereafter leading the cruiser on a circuitous route through the area that saw him swerving all over the road and failing to stop at red lights and stop signs. After about 16 kilometres of travel, the man was on Dixie Road south of Mid-Way Boulevard when he struck the driver’s side of a tractor-trailer. His vehicle briefly returned to its lane before it lurched right and again struck the tractor-trailer in the area of its front left fender. The Charger struck a tree and erupted into flames. Officers extricated the man from the Charger and extinguished the fire. He was arrested and taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with multiple rib fractures and a fractured pelvis.
Director Martino was satisfied that the driver of the pursuing police cruiser did not transgress the limits of care prescribed by the criminal law in his engagement with the man. As such, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. 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.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES