Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has cleared a Chatham-Kent Police officer of any criminal wrongdoing following the arrest of a man in Wallaceburg this past April.
Police were called to a home about a break-and-enter the night of April 1st and found a man sitting passed out on the home’s front porch.
According to the SIU, the man was arrested, handcuffed, and carried to a cruiser before allegedly putting up a fight. Investigators say one of the officers kneed the man several times to bring the suspect’s legs into the car, the man was punched, and another officer deployed a conducted energy weapon in drive-stun mode three times.
The following day, the suspect complained of pain and was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a ruptured bladder and lacerated liver.
The SIU report states that while there is evidence to suggest the man’s injuries were suffered before the officers’ interventions, there is also evidence that the injuries were the result of the force of perhaps an errant knee strike by one of the officers.
However, the police watchdog has ruled there is no basis for criminal charges and the case has been closed.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians.