News Release
Man’s Injury Caused When he Punched Cell Wall; SIU Terminates Investigation Involving Elgin County OPP Detachment
Case Number: 18-PCI-159
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury sustained in May of 2018 by a 20-year-old man in Elgin County.
On the morning of May 29, 2018, 911 received numerous calls regarding the driving behavior of an individual on Highway 401, near Dutton. An Ontario Provincial Police officer located the vehicle and arrested the man. The man was taken to the Elgin OPP detachment and lodged in a cell. While in the cell, the man began striking the cell bars with his head and he punched the cell block wall with both hands. Paramedics transported the man to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured left hand.
Director Loparco said, “The evidence clearly establishes that the man’s injury was self-inflicted. As such, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
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