Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has found no grounds to charge a Peel Region police officer in an arrest during a break-and-enter in Mississauga last year.

On Dec. 27, 2018, at around 3:45 a.m., Peel police responded to a break-and-enter at the Holt Renfrew in Square One. Officers saw men leave the store and enter a Porsche Cayenne in an attempt to flee, the SIU said in a report Tuesday.

When police became involved, there was a collision between a cruiser and the Porsche. Right after, the suspects fled the area on foot.

Both suspects, two men, were arrested a short time later. A 27-year-old man suffered serious injuries, including fractured ribs, as a result of the collision.

The SIU was contacted by Peel police a few hours later at 8:15 a.m. The Porsche was also discovered to be stolen.

The agency spoke with the 27-year-old suspect, a civilian witness and five witness officers during its investigation.

The suspect’s fractured ribs were a result of the officer jumping on the suspect’s back with both knees or the motor vehicle collision, the SIU found.

Both, were “legally justified” force, concluded SIU interim director Joseph Martino, who accepted the suspect was also punched a minimum of four times.

Martino said he found it difficult to resolve whether there was any further force used by the officer, as a body of evidence suggests, or if the man resisted arrest.

“The (officer’s) assertions on these fronts, they must be taken with a grain of salt given they were not tested via an interview with SIU investigators,” Martino wrote.

But he added the allegations against the officer were also difficult to substantiate because the complainant was “evasive” in his interviews with SIU investigators.

“I am inclined to accept that the subject officer might well have placed his weight on the complainant with his knees as the latter lay prone on the ground,” Martino said in a statement.

“By that time, the officer would have had good cause to believe he was dealing with a potentially dangerous individual given his association with the break-and-enter and his concerted effort to escape police custody.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

As a result, Martino concluded there were no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against the police officer.

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.

Ali Raza is a reporter for Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach him via email: aliraza@metroland.com

Read more about: