News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Injuries in Fall from E-Bike in Ottawa
Case Number: 22-OVI-193
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that an Ottawa Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the serious injuries suffered by a 41-year-old man when he fell from an e-bike.
In the early hours of August 2, 2022, officers were dispatched to South Keys Shopping Centre at 2210 Bank Street for reported trespassers committing theft in the area. An officer spotted a man in the area who was believed to have been involved. The man fled on an e-bike on Bank Street and the officer pursued in his cruiser. The man fell off his bike. The officer saw the man on the ground and officers arrested him. The man was taken from the scene to hospital via ambulance. He was diagnosed with fractured ribs and a broken collarbone.
Director Martino found no reasonable grounds to conclude that the involved officer transgressed the limits of care in his dealings with the man, leaving 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.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES