News Release
SIU Determines No Charges to Issue Against Toronto Police Officer in Relation to Brampton Arrest and Injury
Case Number: 22-TCI-189
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe a Toronto Police Service (TPS) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the serious injury suffered by a 24-year-old man in July.
In the morning of July 28, 2022, a team of TPS Emergency Task Force officers forcibly entered the man’s basement apartment in Brampton. The officers were part of a much larger multi-jurisdictional police operation that saw several search warrants being executed at about the same time in a major weapons and drugs investigation. The man was suspected of being in possession of firearms, and had previously been charged for weapons-related offences. Aware that his residence was being entered by police officers, the man assumed a prone position on the bedroom floor. Officers entered the room and delivered leg strikes to the man, after which he was handcuffed and led from the room. He was transported to hospital following his arrest and diagnosed with a right rib fracture.
While accepting that an officer was likely responsible for the man’s fractured rib, Director Martino was not satisfied that the injury was attributable to any unlawful conduct on the part of the officer. As such, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges. 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.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES