News Release
SIU Terminates Toronto Investigation; Man Fractured Foot When He Attempted to Scale Fence
Case Number: 23-OCI-121
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury suffered by a 30-year-old man in April in Toronto.
In the afternoon of April 21, 2023, the man was the front seat passenger of a vehicle under surveillance by the York Regional Police. When the vehicle stopped in the parking lot of a plaza northwest of the Brimley Road and Sheppard Avenue East intersection, and was blockaded by unmarked police vehicles, the man exited and ran away. He ran northwest for a distance of about 250 metres, over railway tracks, a field, and several fences. Arriving on the grounds of a school and attempting to scale a fence around a construction site, the man’s legs gave out and he fell. Police officers took the man into custody without further incident. At hospital, the man was diagnosed with a fractured left foot.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, including review of video footage that captured the incident in parts, Director Martino was satisfied that the investigation should be discontinued. The man’s injury resulted when he landed awkwardly from a fence during his flight from police. On this record, aside from setting the stage for his flight, it was evident that the police did nothing to cause or contribute to the man’s injury that could conceivably attract criminal sanction. Accordingly, the file has been closed.
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
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Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES