News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into Woman’s Head Injury in Toronto

Case Number: 23-TCI-214   

Mississauga, ON (4 October, 2023) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe a Toronto Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the arrest and serious injuries suffered by a 28-year-old woman. On June 6, 2023, officers responded to reports of a woman armed with a box-cutter knife who assaulted an employee at Canadian Tire on Joe Shuster Way. During a standoff outside where the woman did not obey officer commands to drop the knife, she was struck with a conducted energy weapon, fell to the ground and struck her head. She was arrested, then taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with a skull fracture and hemorrhage.
 
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.

Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES