News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Serious Injury in Ajax
Case Number: 24-OCI-099
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe a Durham Regional Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a reported brain bleed suffered by a 69-year-old man. On March 2, 2024, officers were sent to a disturbance call at Goldies Café on Bayly Street in Ajax. The man reportedly assaulted a customer and was spitting on people. The man confronted the officer, with the officer asking the man to stop and remove his hands from his pockets. The man refused and when he was within an arm’s length, the officer pushed the man away. The man stumbled backward and struck his head on the pavement. The officer called for an ambulance and the man was taken to hospital.
Director Martino found the officer’s push to the man’s torso was reasonable in self-defence. The officer had reason to fear he was on the verge of being attacked and the force he used to defend himself was a proportionate response in the circumstances. While the injury was the unfortunate result of the force used, Director Martino found it not attributable to unlawful conduct by the officer.
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