News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Toronto Police Officer Who Shot at Males Fleeing in SUV
Case Number: 23-TFP-512
Other News Releases Related to Case 23-TFP-512
SIU Investigating After Toronto Police Officer Fired Gun in North York
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe a Toronto Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with firing at an Acura SUV that failed to stop for police in North York last December. None of the Acura’s occupants, aged 20, 17 and 16 years old, were struck.
On December 15, 2023, police received a 911 call about an armed robbery in Scarborough. The males involved were located in an SUV in the area of Plunkett Road and Millwick Road. The officer was standing outside his vehicle, with officers positioning their cruisers to block the SUV’s path, when the driver continued toward the area where the officer was standing. The officer shot at the moving vehicle and the SUV collided head-on with a police vehicle. The males were arrested.
Director Martino noted that video evidence showed the Acura briefly turned in the direction of the officer before it straightened out and was shot by the officer. Moreover, he found that as Acura bore down on the officers’ cruisers and it became clear it was not going to stop, there was every possibility that it would jump the curb to circumvent the blockade, potentially putting it on a collision course with the officer. Director Martino concluded that the evidence fell short of any reasonable suggestion that it was not justifiable force in self-defence.
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.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES