SIU clears officers in November arrest of man in Bracebridge, Ont.

The province's police watchdog has invoked its mandate into an early morning death investigation in Tay Township. (CTV NEWS/File photo)

The province's police watchdog says there are no grounds for criminal proceedings against two officers stemming from the arrest of a man in Bracebridge, Ont. last year.

On Nov. 2, two provincial officers arrived at a motel room to perform a well-being check on a 20-year-old man after there was concern he may harm himself.

Police initially convinced the man to accompany them to the hospital for a mental health assessment, but according to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), he became defiant.

The SIU says the man was handcuffed and searched, then spat at officers. He was taken down to the floor and arrested for assaulting a peace officer.

The SIU said he was later diagnosed with a fractured right knee after complaining of pain in his leg while in a holding cell and taken to a local hospital.

On Friday, the SIU concluded its investigation, determining there were no reasonable grounds to believe that either officer committed a criminal offence in connection to the man's arrest and injury.