Ontario’s police oversight agency has determined that two Ottawa police officers did not act with criminal negligence when they briefly chased a man who had broken into a bar, fled from authorities, and subsequently fell from a downtown parking garage.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) took action in late May this year after the individual sustained serious head injuries following his fall from the garage located at 30 York St.
In a report on Monday, the SIU indicated that the 32-year-old man entered the bar around 3:30 a. m. while staff were still cleaning up.
Employees alerted police as the manager guided him into the adjoining parking garage, where responding officers eventually located him.
According to the SIU, the injured man ran away from officers, climbed over a railing on the third floor, and held onto it for a brief moment before falling.
The report states that the officers acted appropriately in attempting to arrest him based on suspicions of breaking and entering and that they “could not have anticipated that he would shortly imperil his life.”
While he was hanging on momentarily, they tried to assist but were unable to prevent his fall, as noted by the SIU.
The SIU investigates situations involving police and civilians that lead to serious injuries, firearm discharges directed at individuals, fatalities or accusations of sexual assault.
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