The provincial police watchdog has cleared an Ottawa Police Service officer after a 43-year-old man suffered a “medical crisis” while in a cell at the Elgin Street station on Oct. 13, 2025.
Special Investigations Unit director Joseph Martino ruled that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the “subject officer”, who had ultimate responsibility for the care of prisoners, had committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s medical event.
The 43-year-old man had been arrested on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. on outstanding warrants in a rooming house, and at about 2 p.m. was searched before being put in a cell, an SIU report stated police had told it. Later that evening, officers noticed the complainant was not acting normal and cell-monitoring video recording was activated. At 11:35 p.m., the man was seen lying on the floor in the cell.
Police told the SIU that when they checked on him, he was found to have irregular breathing and was unresponsive, with a small amount of blood coming from his nose. The report stated that Narcan (naloxone) was administered and paramedics were called.
According to the SIU report on the incident, paramedics arrived on scene at about 11:50 p.m., and the man was transported to hospital and diagnosed with the toxic ingestion of an illicit substance.
The man had denied drug or alcohol use before his arrest, but mentioned he had epilepsy and might suffer a seizure, the report stated.
“In what appears to have been a thorough job, the Complainant was searched prior to being placed in a cell. No drugs were retrieved from his person,” Martino said in his decision. “The Complainant appears to have advised his custodians at some point during his stay in cells that he had consumed a substance, either before he was arrested or while in custody.
“As he continued to appear well, that revelation did not result in any heightened measures. When the Complainant suddenly fell ill in his cell, the evidence indicates that (officers) responded quickly to provide appropriate first-aid.”
In his decision, Martino did make note of the fact the Ottawa police did not notify the SIU about the incident until the next afternoon.
“There is evidence that the service was aware that the Complainant was in life-threatening condition as early as 1:23 a.m., October 14, 2025, and yet the service did not notify the SIU until about 3:00 p.m. of that day,” Martino said in his decision. “Late notifications of this nature jeopardize the integrity of SIU investigations, detract from the SIU’s independence and credibility, and undermine the public’s confidence in policing and policing oversight.”
The SIU is an independent agency that investigates incidents in Ontario involving police officers resulting in death, serious injury, allegations of sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
