Ontario’s police watchdog has cleared three Norfolk County officers of any wrongdoing after an altercation in a police station boardroom that sent a 68-year-old man to hospital.
In his decision, Special Investigations Unit interim director Joseph Martino said the force used by officers who restrained and Tasered the complainant was “legally justified.”
The SIU report says the incident began when the complainant was brought into the Simcoe Ontario Provincial Police detachment early on April 2 to answer for several historical offences.
After the complainant went into a boardroom, he was told by two officers that he was under arrest. Upon hearing the news, the complainant became combative and would not remove his hands from his pockets, according to Martino.
Officers took the man facedown to the floor and discovered he had a knife in his left hand.
While he was on the ground, the officers pried the knife out of his hand and tried to handcuff him. Other officers eventually arrived, with one discharging a Taser into the complainant’s backside, says the report.
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Later, after he was lodged in a cell, the complainant was sent to hospital with complaints of pain.
At Norfolk General Hospital, he was diagnosed with three broken ribs and a punctured lung.
After interviewing 10 police officers and the complainant, the SIU’s interim director said there was evidence of “far more severe application of police force.”
Martino said testimony from the 68-year-old suggested he was repeatedly kicked by officers, Tasered after he was handcuffed and thrown down a flight of stairs.
However, the director said video recordings and other testimonials stood “in stark contrast” of the accusations and he closed the file.
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