Man Fell While Attempting to Flee Police; SIU Discontinues Hamilton Investigation
Case Number:
26-OCI-338
Mississauga, ON (4 November, 2026) ---
The Deputy Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Stacey O’Brien, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury suffered by a 22-year-old man in July in Hamilton.
On the night of July 23, 2026, Hamilton Police Service officers were conducting surveillance at a residence that had been the subject of previous shooting and home invasion investigations. During the surveillance, officers observed a vehicle attend the residence and leave. In a nearby parking lot, the movements of this suspect vehicle were blocked by a police vehicle. The two occupants fled on foot, and officers pursued. During the foot pursuit, one of the men looked over his shoulder while running, lost his footing, and fell to the ground. At hospital, he was diagnosed with a fractured finger.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, which included a review of video footage that captured the incident in parts, Deputy Director O’Brien was satisfied that the investigation should be discontinued. As depicted in the video evidence, the man fell to the ground while attempting to flee from police. There was no evidence of any physical contact between the man and police before he fell. The evidence indicated that the fracture was sustained when he struck the ground following the fall. It was plain and obvious that police did nothing that could conceivably attract criminal liability in connection with the man’s injury. There being patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of the police is concerned, the file has been closed.
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
