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The provincial police watchdog has cleared an Ottawa police officer of wrongdoing after a 35-year-old man suffered a skull fracture during his arrest on April 1, 2026.
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The man, who was arrested that afternoon for outstanding warrants, also suffered a nasal fracture and brain bleed after he fell while trying to run away during his arrest, the Special Investigations Unit stated in an incident report posted on Wednesday, July 22.
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Officers from the Ottawa Police Service had been called to assist Ontario Provincial Police in the arrest of the man on April 1.
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The man was arrested and handcuffed after exiting a residence in the Elgin Street and Somerset Street West area, the SIU said, but, while being searched, he attempted to flee. The report said that, during the ensuing pursuit, an officer grabbed the man’s right arm and they both fell to the ground, with the officer falling on top of the man.
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The injured man was subsequently taken by medical personnel to The Ottawa Hospital Civic campus, where his head injuries were diagnosed.
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According to the SIU, director Joseph Martino found no reasonable grounds to believe the Ottawa police officer had committed a criminal offence, stating it was unclear if the fall had resulted from an intentional tackle by the officer or from the man losing his footing.
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“If it was a tackle, (Martino) was unable to reasonably conclude it was uncalled for in the circumstances,” the SIU report read. “If it was a fall, it was best characterized as the product of the man losing his balance with only minimal force applied by the officer, owing largely to him running away with his arms handcuffed behind the back.”
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The SIU investigates police interactions where there has been death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm at a person or an allegation of sexual assault.
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