News Release
No Basis to Charge Officer in Relation to Brockville Arrest
Case Number: 23-OCI-284
In the morning of July 24, 2023, the Brockville Police Service received a call of a disturbance being created on King Street East by a group of inebriated individuals. Officers located the group and stopped their vehicles to speak with them. They recognized one of the group members as a person wanted for a robbery. At the sight of the police, the 25-year-old man ran. An officer confronted the man and told him he was under arrest. When the man failed to get on the ground when ordered to do so, the officer took him down. The man was handcuffed by the officer and transported to the station. When the man was subsequently taken to hospital, he was diagnosed with a fractured right forearm and left wrist. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injuries.
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