A Guelph police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a case where a man being arrested suffered two fractured ribs.
"The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Guelph Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a fractured rib suffered by a 28-year-old man in the course of his arrest in March," the SIU said in a news release.
On the morning of March 18, 2022, a man ran out of gas while travelling northbound on Highway 6, south of Marden Road. A police officer, and his partner, travelling in a marked police pickup truck, saw the car and ran a check on the licence plate, learning that the registered owner, the man, was a prohibited driver.
As they turned to go back to the car they noticed a man with a gasoline can, who upon seeing them jumped in the vehicle and drove off. He turned left on Marden Road and pulled over, exiting the car.
The officers struggled with the man, having difficulty getting his arms behind his back. The unnamed subject officer put his left knee on the man’s back while he was on the ground in a prone position and handcuffed the man. After his arrest, the man was taken to the station. Later, he complained about soreness in his rib area. He was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with the injury.
"While Director Martino accepted that the man’s serious injury resulted from the force used by the officer, he found no reasonable grounds to believe the officer comported himself other than lawfully. The file has been closed," said the SIU decision.
