NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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MISSISSAUGA - The interim director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the arrest earlier this month of a 20-year-old man in Newmarket.
On June 6, 2019, a York Regional Police officer observed individuals trespassing at a construction site in Newmarket. When the officer approached the individuals, the 20-year-old man fled the scene on foot. In the process of fleeing, the man fractured his right foot as he ran down a set of stairs. The man was apprehended soon after.
Interim Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, it is evident that the officer neither caused nor contributed to the man’s injury in any manner that could attract criminal liability. Accordingly, as there is patently nothing to investigate as far as the officer’s potential criminality is concerned, the investigation is hereby discontinued and the file closed.”
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must:
- consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
- report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General
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