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 concussion suffered by a 30-year-old man in 2022. The SIU re-opened this case in August 2023 after receiving new information.
On June 21, 2023, police were called to a residence in Bracebridge for a report that the man assaulted a woman. The man was arrested and taken to the detachment. While the man was being placed in a cell, the man repeatedly attempted to punch an officer and grabbed him by the neck. The officer delivered initial punches, followed by an additional five punches after the man released his hold on the officer’s head.
Director Martino found the subsequent punches were arguably not strictly necessary. The law, however, does not demand that officers perfectly tailor their force when engaged in volatile and violent situations. Director Martino found that for an officer engaged in a vigorous struggle, he was unable to reasonably conclude that the officer acted in excess.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
I went to the link and read the original SIU report. This stood out:
“An unknown officer referred to him as a “woman beater” and punched him more than 12 times, bringing him to the ground.”
The ‘unknown officer’ is never named and apparently this was not investigated. At least not as part of this complaint. Troubling.
As a community we should know the details of this incident and the leadership that allows this to occur. There is never an excuse for this behaviour or the persons responsible for this not held accountable. Obviously there are witnesses as this other incident is in the report. Where are the details of this investigation or any possible coverup?