News Release
SIU Finds No Charges to Issue in Relation to Belleville Arrest and Injury
Case Number: 22-PCI-191
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the arrest, and serious injury, suffered by a 29-year-old man in July.
At about 11:40 p.m. on July 30, 2022, a patron at a Belleville establishment called 911 to report that an inebriated male customer had assaulted an individual and was fighting other patrons. The first officer on scene was directed to a location in the parking lot outside the bar where ongoing hostilities involving a man were occurring. The officer ran towards the man and tackled him to the ground. He then straddled the man, struggled with him for a period attempting to control his arms and eventually turned him into a prone position and affixed him in handcuffs. The man was placed into the rear seat of the officer’s cruiser for transportation to the police station. The following morning, the man was to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured right elbow.
Director Martino determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer comported himself other than lawfully throughout the incident. As 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/pdfs/directors_report_199.pdf
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