News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Man’s Broken Arm in Sudbury Arrest
Case Number: 25-OCI-167
The Special Investigations Unit found no reasonable grounds to believe two Greater Sudbury Police Service officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the broken arm suffered by a 44-year-old man during his arrest. On April 26, 2025, officers went to Southridge Mall in Sudbury in response to a call about an alleged theft.
Director Joseph Martino found in hindsight that the officers mistook for resistance the man’s inability to maneuver his right arm behind the back because of a pre-existing injury. Had they given him the benefit of the doubt, the officers might have heeded the man’s accommodation request, namely, that he be handcuffed to the front instead of the back. That said, the officers had reason to believe the man was armed with a knife and could be violent. Time was of the essence and the officers can be forgiven for moving quickly to ensure that the man was handcuffed in a fashion that made access to a possible weapon less likely, namely, behind the back. On this record, the takedown and the manual grappling made sense, Director Martino concluded. Once it became clear that the man suffered an injury, the officers took the necessary steps to reposition the handcuffs and ensure he received care.
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 (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.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES