Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has found no wrongdoing in relation to a police altercation with a Brantford resident that took place earlier this year. The police watchdog said the incident took place April 16 around 2:45 a.m. on and around the Art Stanbridge Walkway in Brantford. The incident According to a report from SIU director Joseph Martino, a Brantford police officer responded to a disturbance between two men near King and Dalhousie streets. As the officer approached the pair, one of them — a 22-year-old man — ran off, prompting a police chase. The responding officer called for back up, and both officers arrived at the Art Stanbridge Walkway, where the 22-year-old was trying to make his way up to the bridge from a nearby rooftop. The report stated the man was intoxicated and lost his footing due to wet and slippery conditions. He was hanging onto the walkway’s outer railing when the responding officer grabbed a hold of his wrist. However, it slipped from his grasp and the man fell to the ground. The 22-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries, including trauma to the head, a liver laceration and femur, ulna, wrist and pelvis fractures. The Ruling On Thursday, Martino released his decision on the incident. “On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the (responding officer) committed a criminal offence in connection with the Complainant’s fall and injuries,” Martino said. Martino elaborated, saying the officer “properly” switched his focus from detaining the man to doing what he could to prevent any injuries. “This was never a static situation in which the officers might have opted to stand back and perhaps try to talk the Complainant to safety. Rather, events were happening quickly with the Complainant seemingly determined to make it onto the walkway from the half-wall,” Martino stated. “In the circumstances, I am satisfied the officers made a reasonable choice when they rushed towards the Complainant in an effort to grab hold of him and prevent his fall.” “For the foregoing reasons, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file is closed,” Martino said. The criminal charge in question was criminal negligence causing bodily harm, which is reserved for serious cases of neglect that demonstrate a wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of others.
