Ontario’s police watchdog has found no reasonable grounds to charge a Brantford police officer after a man suffered a broken knee during an arrest.
However, the Special Investigations Unit is referring concerns about officers’ body-worn cameras and the timing of the incident’s reporting for further review.
The investigation examined the arrest of a 45-year-old man on July 10. Officers were looking for him in connection with outstanding arrest warrants when they located him near Erie Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
According to the SIU, two officers approached the man, ordered him to the ground and physically engaged him while he was standing. Additional officers arrived and helped take him into custody.
The man was subsequently taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured left knee.
SIU Director Joseph Martino concluded the injury likely resulted from an officer’s kick and takedown, but determined the force was reasonable in the circumstances. He found no reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence.
The investigation nevertheless identified separate concerns about police conduct.
Two officers interviewed by the SIU did not activate their body-worn cameras, which Martino identified as a possible breach of the police code of conduct.
He also said the incident appeared to have been reported late to the SIU, raising another potential conduct issue.
Both matters will be referred to the Brantford Police Service and the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency for review.
Those referrals are separate from the SIU’s decision not to lay criminal charges.