SIU clears OPP officer of wrongdoing in man’s fall from Hwy. 8 bridge over Grand River in Kitchener

The province’s police watchdog has cleared a Cambridge OPP officer of any wrongdoing after a man fell off the Highway 8 bridge over the Grand River in Kitchener last October.

The Special Investigation’s Unit says the OPP were called to Highway 8 in the area of the Fairway Road South exit ramp for a report of a man on the side of the road at around 9:50 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2020.

Officer pulled onto the side of the highway, in front of the man who was sprinting down the side of the highway, and got out of his cruiser, according to the SIU.

The SIU says the man sprinted past the cruiser, and failed to respond to the officer, who asked if he was OK.

The officer chased after the man on foot, which led to a wrestling match between the two at the side of the busy highway, the SIU says.

The SIU’s report says the pair got back on their feet and the officer backed up asking the man to stand down but the man refused.

The officer then shot a controlled energy weapon at him, which initially dropped him off his feet but the man was soon on back his feet, running into eastbound lanes of the highway, the SIU says.

The man made it across the highway where he climbed onto the barrier on the bridge over Grand River. He then fell off and landed on the riverbank below, a drop of more than 10 meters.

Other emergency personnel reportedly arrived shortly thereafter, before the man was airlifted to a Hamilton hospital with serious injuries.

“The liability issues that arise in this case are twofold,” SIU director Joseph Martino wrote in his report. “First, was the force used by the officer against the Complainant lawful? Second, did the care exercised by the SO as he engaged the Complainant and tried to save him harmless from the perils of highway traffic fall within the limits of the criminal law?

“In my view, the answer to both questions is in the affirmative.”