On November 2, 2022, an individual requested that police check on the well-being of a 20-year-old man as they were concerned the man would harm himself. Two OPP officers arrived at a motel room in Bracebridge and spoke with the man.
While he was initially receptive to the idea of accompanying the officers to hospital for a mental health assessment, he later became defiant. The man was handcuffed and searched, after which he spat at the officers. The man was taken down to the floor and arrested for having assaulted a peace officer.
Following his arrest, the man was transported to the detachment and lodged in a cell. When he complained of pain to a leg, the man was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured right knee.
On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that either officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injury. There was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case, and the file has been closed.
