News Release
No Charges for OPP Officer After Woman’s Arm Broken in Orangeville Arrest
Case Number: 23-PCI-029
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, found no reasonable grounds to believe an Ontario Provincial Police officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a broken right arm suffered by a 46-year-old woman in Orangeville. On January 25, 2023, officers went to the woman’s home following a call to police reporting that a man had been assaulted by the woman. While an officer attempted to arrest her, she resisted and dropped to the floor while the officer held her right arm behind her back.
Director Martino found that the countervailing forces inherent in that action with the officer still holding the woman’s arm behind the back is what appeared to have resulted in the fracture, not any excessive or unwarranted force on the part of the officer.
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