SIU clears London police after fleeing suspect fractures ankle

Ontario’s police watchdog has cleared London police after a man was injured while fleeing from officers last month.

The Special Investigations Unit was called in after a 38-year-old man fractured his ankle following a traffic stop in the city’s east end on June 16.

The SIU statement said officers conducted a stop around 9 p.m. near Sanders Street and Hamilton Road.

The driver reportedly left the vehicle and fled to the backyard of a nearby home.

A police dog was called in to search for the man, who was arrested nearby, according to the SIU statement. He was found injured and taken to hospital.

SIU investigators say the man fractured his left ankle after jumping over a fence while he was fleeing on foot.

“It is apparent based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries that there is patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of the officers who interacted with the complainant is concerned,” said SIU interim director Joseph Martino said in a release.

“The evidence establishes that the man fractured his left ankle when, while fleeing on foot from the police following a traffic stop, he jumped over a residential fence and landed on it. No officer was near him at the time. On this record, it is obvious that the man’s injury was not caused by any police officer in any fashion that could attract criminal liability.”

As a result, Martino says the investigation has been discontinued and the file is 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.