KENORA – Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit are probing the circumstances surrounding a traffic stop yesterday on Highway 71 in Kenora.
Preliminary information from the Ontario Provincial Police suggests the following:
- Around 12 p.m. on February 4, 2016, an OPP K-9 officer stopped a vehicle approximately two kilometres north of Gibi Lake on Highway 71.
- The officer attempted to arrest a 48-year-old man.
- During the course of the arrest, the man suffered injuries to his neck and shoulder. The man was transported to hospital, where he underwent surgery.
The SIU has assigned two investigators and one forensic investigator as part of the investigation.
The SIU is urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
- report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.