News Release
No Basis to Charge Officer in Relation to London Collision
Case Number: 19-PVI-190
On August 13, 2019, a 38-year-old man sustained a fractured ankle and a back injury when the motor vehicle in which he was the rear seat passenger collided with a tree. Immediately prior to the collision, the vehicle was being driven at high speeds in an attempt to evade an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, is unable to reasonably conclude that the manner in which the officer operated his cruiser ran afoul of the criminal law’s proscriptions, notwithstanding the speeds he reached during his engagement with the vehicle. Consequently, there is no basis for proceeding with charges in this case and the file is closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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