News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Arrest, Broken Ribs in Cambridge

Case Number: 23-OCI-301   

Mississauga, ON (23 February, 2024) ---
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe a Waterloo Regional Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the broken ribs suffered by a 31-year-old man in Cambridge. On June 23, 2023, officers attempted to arrest the man after a report of break and enter at a residence. The man resisted. Officers grounded the man, where he was subject to strikes and conducted energy weapon discharges. Director Martino accepted that the man’s injuries were probably incurred during his arrest, but he was not reasonably satisfied that it was attributable to any unlawful conduct on the part of the officers.  

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