SIU clears Peel officer in anti-riot weapon use on man in Mississauga during confrontation

A Peel Regional Police officer faces no criminal charges after using an anti-riot weapon on a man during a standoff in Mississauga this past summer.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said in a news release on Saturday there is no basis upon which to charge the officer, who was among a number of police officers to respond on June 28 around 2 a.m. to the intersection of Elmwood Avenue South and Lakeshore Road East following reports of a man in possession of a knife. 

The SIU is a civilian agency that investigates incidents involving police and citizens where injury or a death has occurred.

According to the SIU, members of the Peel police Tactical Rescue Unit attempted negotiations after locating a 38-year-old man at the south Mississauga intersection.

Despite verbal commands from police, the man failed to drop the weapon, prompting two officers to deploy Tasers, which were ineffective.

Another officer then fired a single round of an anti-riot weapon, striking the man.

A final Taser was deployed, which resulted in the man being subdued. He was taken into custody and transported to hospital. The man did not sustain serious injuries.

SIU Director Joseph Martino stated in his report that, after reviewing the evidence, there were no reasonable grounds to believe the officer’s actions constituted a criminal offence. The case is now closed, he added.

The SIU noted in its report that investigators found a knife on the west sidewalk of Elmwood Avenue. About five metres to the north, they discovered a burnt area on the sidewalk, suggesting a distraction device had been used.

In the nearby grass, a spent distraction device was found along with a used ARWEN cartridge, an ARWEN projectile and several Taser wires.

(Photos: Special Investigations Unit)