News Release
SIU Terminates Toronto Investigation; Man Jumped from Second Floor Fire Escape
Case Number: 18-TCI-206
The Acting Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury sustained by a 40-year-old man last month in Toronto.
At approximately 5:30 p.m. on July 14, 2018, Toronto Police Service officers responded to a stabbing call at a second floor apartment unit on Gerrard Street East. When officers arrived, they found a male victim in the apartment. A second man fled, jumping from the apartment’s fire escape to the ground below. This man was arrested and taken to Toronto East General Hospital where he was diagnosed and treated for a fractured left heel.
Acting Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, it is apparent that the man was singularly responsible for his self-inflicted injury. Consequently, I have terminated the investigation into this incident as the police did nothing that could possibly attract criminal liability in relation to the injury in question.”
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