News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Milton Grocery Store Arrest
Case Number: 23-OCI-294
In the evening of July 27, 2023, Halton Regional Police Service officers were dispatched to The Home Depot at 1013 Maple Avenue in Milton to investigate a theft in progress. As one of the two persons of interest exited the store – a 48-year-old man – he saw police officers and fled across a parking lot and into a nearby Longo’s grocery store. Officers gave chase. When the man wouldn’t stop when ordered to do so, an officer deployed his conducted energy weapon at the man, and the man was struck. The man’s body locked-up and he fell forward, striking the floor with his face, and losing teeth and breaking his nose in the process. The man was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries. 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 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