News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Broken Shin Suffered by Man During Arrest in Windsor
Case Number: 21-OCI-404
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that two Windsor Police Service officers committed a criminal offence in connection with a broken right shin suffered by a 32-year-old man during his arrest in November.
On November 25, 2021, officers were called to a residence on Elsmere Road for reports of the man making threats and displaying disruptive behaviour. The man resisted arrest and officers wrestled the man to the ground. He was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.
While Director Martino accepted that the man’s serious injury was caused by the takedown before his arrest, he was not satisfied that his injury was due to any unlawful conduct by the officials involved. Accordingly, the file has been closed.
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