Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has ended an investigation into the conduct of London police after determining that officers did not cause a man's fractured vertebrae.
The SIU launched the probe after an incident on June 27, 2019. According to the SIU, a man was involved in a vehicle crash at the intersection of Pack Road and Bostwick Road. He walked away from the collision scene and was arrested shortly after by London police and accused of impaired driving. While at the police station, the man reported that he was not feeling well. He was taken to hospital where it was determined that he had fractured his vertebrae in his neck.
“As it is apparent based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries that the man’s fractured neck was the result of the motor vehicle collision, and not the arrest or anything that occurred during his period in custody, there is patently nothing to investigate as far the potential criminal liability of any police officer is concerned," SIU Interim Director Joseph Martino said in a statement released Wednesday. "Accordingly, the investigation is hereby discontinued and the file closed.”
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault.
