SIU clears officers of wrongdoing in connection to June incident on Highway 85 overpass in Waterloo

Ontario’s police watchdog has cleared Waterloo Regional Police of wrongdoing in connection to a man’s fall from the Northfield Drive overpass of Highway 85 in Waterloo in June.

“I am satisfied that the SO (suspect officer) did what he reasonably could to save the Complainant, was professional throughout the incident as it unfolded, and in no way contributed to the Complainant’s self-inflicted death in any fashion that could attract criminal sanction,” Special Investigations Unit interim director Joseph Martino said in his decision.

It says that at around lunchtime on June 5, Waterloo officers were called to the area to a report of a 40-year-old man in distress.

The SIU says that after officers found the man, they began to talk with him but a short time later, the man fell from the bridge onto Highway 85.

The incident caused Highway 85 to be closed in both directions for several hours.

The SIU is an independent agency that investigates incidents involving police that have resulted in death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.