News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Ribs Broken During Arrest by Toronto Police
Case Number: 24-TCI-181
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 the serious injury of a 47-year-old man.
On January 16, 2024, officers were dispatched to a building located near the area of Front Street and Church Street in Toronto for a reported trespasser. The man did not listen to officers’ commands to keep his hands out of his pockets and struggled against efforts to handcuff him. The man was taken to the police station and then to hospital where he was diagnosed with fractured left-sided ribs.
Director Martino found the force brought to bear by the officers in aid of the man’s arrest was legally justified. The man was resisting arrest and had access to items that might cause injury if they were used as weapons.
In conclusion, while he accepted that the force brought to bear by the officers, likely one or more of the subject official’s strikes, caused the man’s injuries, he was unable to reasonably conclude that they were 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.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES