News Release
SIU Concludes Toronto Investigation
Case Number: 23-TCI-315
In the morning of August 8, 2023, Toronto Police Service officers accompanied a child welfare worker to a residence as a court order had been issued directing the child welfare agency to apprehend the two children of a 33-year-old man. The man refused to turn over his children. Sometime later, a decision was made to take physical custody of the children. At this point, the man was holding the children on his lap. The officers unclasped the man’s hands, and one of the officers forced the man’s left arm away from one of his children, in the course of which a cracking sound was heard. The children were taken away from the scene, and the man was transported to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured left arm. 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 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.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES