News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Hawkesbury Arrest
Case Number: 20-PCI-034
Shortly after midnight on February 9, 2020, two Ontario Provincial Police officers attended an apartment in Hawkesbury following a call to police reporting that a 39-year-old man had been playing music very loudly and was throwing objects outside through his window. When the officers attempted to speak with the man, he tried to shut the apartment door on them. The man then spat on one of the officers. The officers reacted by taking hold of the man and forcing him to the floor. A short struggle ensued on the ground ending with the man in handcuffs. He was later taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured left elbow. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges against either of the involved officers in relation to the man’s injury, 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