News Release

News Release

SIU Determines Use of Police Dog in London Arrest was Lawful

Case Number: 26-OCI-095   

Mississauga, ON (5 June, 2026) ---
In the early morning of February 28, 2026, London Police Service officers, including a police dog handler and his police service dog, were dispatched to an address in the area of Dundas Street and Clarke Road after the homeowners reported a person attempting to break into their residence. The dog located a man hiding in the backyard, in a crawl space underneath a deck. The man failed to come out and give any indication of his presence despite repeated direction from an officer for him to do so. With the dog still attached to the lead, the officer released the dog into the crawl space. After the dog’s second foray into the space, the dog got to the man and bit into his left arm. The 42-year-old man was taken into custody. He was transported to hospital and diagnosed with a fracture of the left elbow and dog bites to the left arm. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injuries.

Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.

If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by an incident under SIU investigation and would like support, the Affected Persons Program is here to help. You can reach us at 1-877-641-1897. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7, every day of the year.

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, 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