SIU Clears Peterborough Police Officer After Man Seriously Injured By Police Service Dog Bites

The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino said officials found no reasonable grounds to believe a Peterborough Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident.

Just after 2:00 a.m., March 18, 2023, a pedestrian approached foot patrol police officers in the downtown core and reported a suspected theft of a vehicle in progress at the King Street parkade located at 202 King Street and a driver colliding with other vehicles.  An officer saw the vehicle in question which struck the police vehicle and fled southbound on Aylmer Street according to police. The man crashed into a fence in the Morrow Park area and allegedly took off on foot and a police service dog was deployed. The SIU found the officers warned the suspect the dog would bite and to show his hands. The dog physically engaged the man who sustained a laceration of approximately nine centimetres to his upper left thigh and a gash approximately five centimetres in length to the rear of his left leg. He was taken to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) by Peterborough County-City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) where he was admitted pending surgery.

The Complainant was released on an undertaking at 4:58 a.m. on charges of Flight from Police, Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Fail to Provide a Breath Sample, Impaired Operation and Fail to Stop at the Scene of an Accident.

The Siu Director stated: “The Complainant was subject to arrest at the time of the dog bites. The Subject Officer had reason to believe that he had been involved in a number of motor vehicle collisions at a parkade, and the officer was present in the vehicle struck by the Complainant as he accelerated southward on Aylmer Street trying to avoid police apprehension.

With respect to the use of the dog by the SO, I am satisfied that it constituted legally justified force. The Complainant had just led the officer on a high-speed pursuit during which he had disregarded traffic control signals. Having crashed his vehicle against a fence in the area of Morrow Park, he remained undeterred, exiting his vehicle and continuing his flight on foot. In the circumstances, I am unable to fault the SO for releasing his dog when the Complainant, despite being warned of the dog’s use, continued to run away. The Complainant’s escape was a real possibility but for the use of the dog, and there was some urgency in apprehending him given his reckless driving to that point. The dog did as it was trained to do – it caught up with the Complainant and bit and held him down pending the arrival of officers.”

The file has now been closed.