News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Niagara Falls Arrest of Man During Joint Forces Operation
Case Number: 23-TCI-189
In the morning of May 18, 2023, a joint forces operation involving officers from several police services attended a residence in Niagara Falls to execute a search warrant for drugs. The team forcibly entered through the front door of the home with the use of a ram, after which three of them made immediately for the stairs to the second floor. As the officers neared the second floor landing, a 36-year-old man leapt over the railing and descended upwards of three metres. He landed on the first flight of stairs, fracturing his right foot in the process, and was struck by a conducted energy weapons deployment before he was handcuffed behind the back and taken into custody. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injury. There was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case, and 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.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES