News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Arrest of Man in Wasaga Beach
Case Number: 23-PCI-231
In the evening of June 16, 2023, Ontario Provincial Police officers were dispatched to an address in Wasaga Beach after a woman reported that a man was locked inside an apartment with a knife in his hand threatening to kill himself. Upon arrival, officers made attempts to de-escalate the situation. When the man eventually exited the front doors with his hands up, the officers approached him and took hold of his arms. The man began to resist the officers’ efforts to position his arms behind the back, dropping them down towards his waist. One of the officers reacted by tripping the man to the ground, after which the officers handcuffed him. Following his arrest, the man was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured right knee. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injury.
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