The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating after two OPP officers discharged Anti-Riot Weapon Enfields (ARWENs) which fires plastic batons at varying velocities to incapacitate a person at a 28-year-old man in Penetanguishene.
At 11 p.m. on June 10, 2022, OPP officers responded to a home on Church Street for a domestic situation.
While in the home, officers determined that a man was in mental distress. Attempts to apprehend him – including the discharges of ARWENs by two police officers – were to no avail.
The man barricaded himself in the home, and negotiations continued for several hours. When the man set the home on fire at 5:30 a.m. on June 11, 2022, officers were able to apprehend him. The man was taken to hospital for assessment. At this time, it does not appear he suffered any serious injury.
One investigator and one forensic investigator have been assigned to the case. Two subject officials and three witness officials have been designated.
The SIU’s mandate was invoked because a police officer discharged an ARWEN, which is classified as a firearm. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, a firearm is defined as a barreled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged and that is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person.
The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online at: https://siu.on.ca/en/appeals.php
