Three St. Thomas police officers charged with assault after wrong man arrested

(Chuck Dickson / CTV London)

The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has charged three St. Thomas police officers with assault following a suspect takedown.

The SIU says a number of St. Thomas police officers were conducting surveillance on Feb. 2 in a residential area near Southdale Road East and Adelaide Road South in London.

The officers were searching for a suspect in connection to a suspect in a jewelry store robbery.

Around 4:00 p.m., officers followed a taxi to Nadine Avenue, where they removed a 35 year old male passenger and arrested him.

The man was injured during the arrest and was eventually released once officers realized they had arrested the wrong man.

Const. Frank Boyes, Const. Sean James and Const. Daniel Spicer have been charged with one count each of assault causing bodily harm and will appear in a London court on May 31.

The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates police incidents involving deaths, injuries or allegations of sexual assault.