The province’s Special Investigations Unit has ended an investigation into a serious hand injury received in an Ottawa Police Service squad car in January.
Joseph Martino, director of the SIU, has ruled the injury was self-inflicted by the 34-year-old man.
In a release, the SIU noted the case occurred Jan. 7 when the man was arrested following a call to police from a woman indicating the man had punched her several times.
During the arrest, the man resisted police and was uncooperative, the report states.
He was handcuffed behind his back and placed in the police vehicle.
“Due to the man’s behaviour during transport, paramedics were called,” the SIU wrote. At the hospital, the man was diagnosed with a fracture of a bone in his hand.
The director wrote that the injury was consistent with a person striking a surface or object with a closed fist, and that it was “highly unlikely that the fracture was caused by any other means.”
“On this record, it would appear that the man was alone responsible for his injury. As such, there being nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer, the file has been closed.”
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