SIU clears police after arrest

Two police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing during the arrest of a man after a reported domestic disturbance in Niagara Falls.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit investigated the Sept. 29, 2017, incident and found that although the 50-year-old man suffered two fractured ribs, the officers were justified in their handling of the arrest. In this instance, the SIU said Niagara Regional Police officers arrived at a residence at about 3:30 a.m. that day to arrest the man on parole violations and domesticrelated charges.

A woman inside told police she had been assaulted and threatened by the man, who had left earlier on a motorcycle.

Officers arrived at his residence a halfhour later but there was no answer and his motorcycle was gone. Later, at about 9 a.m. officers from the ROPE unit (provincial joint forces repeat offender parole enforcement) returned to his residence but again, there was no answer.

Officers set up surveillance and found the man’s motorcycle was in the area. They searched another unit in the building, whose tenant was in the hospital.

When they tried to open a bedroom door, they were met with resistance and the door broke off its hinges while they pushed their way in.

During the ensuing struggle, the man and officers fell to the floor with one of the officers landing on top of him. The SIU reports the man refused to show his hands to be handcuffed and was holding a blackcoloured object in one hand. Officers punched the man as many as 10 times before he let go of the object he was holding.

A black-handled steak knife and cellphone were found on the floor near where he was lying, and when he complained of a pain in his side he was taken to hospital. Doctors learned he had suffered the two fractured ribs in the altercation.

After interviewing the four police officers, two of whom were considered subject officers involved in the takedown, as well as two civilian witnesses the SIU investigator ruled the officers’ actions were justified and excessive force was not used.

The investigator also doubted some parts of the injured man’s account.