Police watchdog finds London officer involved in March arrest not at fault for man’s injury

The Special Investigations Unit has determined that a London police officer did not commit a criminal offence when discharging a “Blunt Impact Projectile” or “BIP” at a man in March.

“Director Joseph Martino concluded that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer comported himself other than lawfully when he fired his BIP firearm at the man.  Accordingly, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file has been closed,” the SIU report said.

On March 13, 2022, the SIU said members of the London Police Service’s emergency response unit gathered in the hallway outside an apartment unit.

The SIU said police were responding to a report that a man had stabbed someone.

From behind his locked door, the man told the officers to “shoot him,” police said.

After repeated police commands that he surrender and open the door, the man did so before retreating a distance into his apartment, the SIU said.

“He had a knife in each hand. The officers ordered the man to drop the knives and then one officer discharged a conducted energy weapon (CEW) as the man advanced in their direction, and another officer fired his BIP firearm,” the SIU report said.

Police said the officer fired the BIP firearm five more times as the man continued to walk towards officers, and that another officer discharged his CEW to get him to stop.

After a struggle and additional use of force, the man was apprehended, police said.

Following his arrest, the man was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured left arm.

The SIU determined that the injury had been inflicted, prior to the arrival of the police, by another tenant of the building using a bat to ward off the man.