Latest news with #JosephMartino
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
SIU terminates investigation into man's broken wrist
The logo of the Ontario Special Investigations Unit is pictured in Toronto, April 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into right wrist fractures suffered by a 23-year-old man in Owen Sound. Owen Sound Police Service notified the SIU about a man they had arrested on February 26 who was diagnosed with a serious injury. The SIU initiated an investigation. Based on the SIU's inquiries – including an interview with the young man and video footage that captured part of the incident– Martino was satisfied the investigation could be discontinued. A call to the Owen Sound Police from a man concerned about his roommate on February 21 led police to perform a wellness check. Police brought the man to the emergency room at a local hospital. While waiting to be seen by medical staff, the man punched a wall with his right fist. He was disruptive with emergency staff, so police and hospital security were required to physically restrain the man. During their efforts to control the man, an officer was struck in the jaw. Subsequently, the man was diagnosed with fractures to his right hand. The SIU states that 'no force was used during the restraint process that could have caused the injury.' Further in Martino's statement, he says 'It was apparent the man alone was responsible for his injury, leaving patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer was concerned.'
CBC
28-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
SIU clears York Region police after man died following 'medical distress' in holding cell
Social Sharing Ontario's police watchdog says York Region police officers are not at fault after a man died in February after going into "medical distress" in a Richmond Hill holding cell. The man, 33, turned himself in at a police station on an arrest warrant for breach of probation around 3 p.m. on Feb. 11, according to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report, released Wednesday. Police searched the man and found a small bag that was later suspected to contain crystal methamphetamine, as well as a crack pipe, the report said. Close to midnight, the man was seen on video retrieving what appeared to be "a quantity of drugs from inside his underwear," the report says. He then formed white lines of powder with the substance and snorted them. Around 1 a.m., police contacted paramedics after they noticed the man was shaking after watching him on a video monitor. Officers attempted to speak to the man, who was unable to communicate other than to agree when asked if he suffered from seizures. The man then soon lost vital signs. Police performed CPR and administered a dose of nasal narcan. Paramedics took the man to the hospital. He was pronounced dead around 1:50 a.m. The man's cause of death is not yet known, the report said. Police quickly provided medical care, SIU director says In his decision, SIU Director Joseph Martino said the first concern in determining police liability was understanding how the man was able to bring and consume suspected drugs inside the cell. Martino said the police searches conducted before the man went into the cell "seem to have been conducted in a thorough fashion." As the drugs seem to have been in the man's underwear, he said it was not surprising police failed to find them. Officers did consider conducting a strip search, but that was denied by a sergeant. "Given the circumstances that prevailed – a detainee having turned himself in seemingly good health and unimpaired – I am unable to reasonably conclude that a strip search was necessarily warranted in this case," Martino wrote. Another issue was whether police sufficiently supervised the man when he was in custody. While police did not routinely physically check the man, Martino wrote he was checked via video monitor roughly every 30 minutes while in the cell, "and that none of those checks gave rise for concern." Martino also found officers detected the man's apparent drug consumption "in fairly short order" and quickly provided medical care.
CBC
27-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Hamilton police officers who restrained man during medical call before he died cleared by SIU
Social Sharing Three Hamilton police officers were cleared by the province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) on Monday in connection with the death of a man who died the day after an interaction with police. On July 8, 2024, officers responded to a call near York Road and Watsons Lane "to assist paramedics," according to the SIU. According to the SIU director's report, when officers arrived at the scene, a man was "incoherent and unresponsive." "Due to the man's agitation, they needed help from officers to control the limbs of the man while they sedated him to safely transport him to hospital," the police watchdog said. The man, 49, died July 11 in hospital due to "complications of cocaine toxicity, in a man with hypertensive heart disease, atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and physical activity," according to the SIU. The SIU said in the report it received the man's postmortem examination report on May 21. According to the report, the three officers involved were interviewed, as well as two civilian witnesses, a witness official, and a service employee. "Director Joseph Martino was satisfied that the subject officials comported themselves with due care and regard for the man's health and wellbeing," said the SIU.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- CTV News
No charges laid in SIU investigation into Essex County arrest
A woman reported a domestic disturbance involving her 20-year-old son to Essex County OPP on the evening of Dec. 21, 2022. When police arrived at the Lakeshore residence, they spoke to the parents and proceeded to an upstairs bedroom. Officer's asked the son to leave the room, but he allegedly refused. After a few minutes, the SIU said that police kicked down the door so they could enter the room. After a brief interaction, police made an arrest. According to the SIU report, the man was later diagnosed with a broken nose. However, on his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man's arrest and injury.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- CTV News
SIU clears Ottawa police officer after man's nose broken following arrest
Ontario's police watchdog has cleared an Ottawa police officer after a man was diagnosed with a broken nose following an arrest in January. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says the incident began in the overnight hours of Jan. 21, where officers broke up a dispute between a man and a woman at an apartment near Brant Street and McArthur Avenue, telling the man to leave the woman's apartment and to not return, or else he would be arrested. The man returned several hours later and broke into the woman's apartment while armed with a knife, the SIU says. The man refused to leave the apartment when officers ordered him to do so, the SIU report says. One officer kicked in the door and arrested the man. During the arrest, the man was taken to the ground, and the officer punched him twice. The man was later diagnosed with a fractured nasal bridge in hospital. The SIU says, after his arrest, the man was searched and officers found brass knuckles and two knives in his pockets. The SIU says the use of force, in this incident, was warranted. 'Two punches, in the context of a potentially armed individual resisting arrest, would not appear unwarranted,' said SIU Director Joseph Martino. The file was closed.
