SIU terminates injury probe tied to November demonstration at Hamilton central station
Global News
Ontario's police watchdog dropped the probe after discovering the woman did not sustain a ‘serious injury’.
Ontario’s police watchdog has ended an investigation into an incident involving Hamilton Police (HPS) and a 24-year-old woman who was believed to have been “seriously injured” during a demonstration at central station in November.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) examination began after HPS reported a “custody injury” at 155 King William Street days after a Nov. 26 gathering protesting the arrest of a person at a homeless encampment teardown in J.C. Beemer Park.
In a statement, director Joseph Martino said preliminary inquiries into the incident revealed the woman did not sustain a ‘serious injury’ within the mandate of the SIU.
“Consequently, as the SIU was without statutory jurisdiction to continue its investigation, the file has been closed,” said Martino.
HPS spokesperson Jackie Penman confirmed to Global News that the service had reached out to the SIU following a Nov. 29 press conference hosted by The Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN).
The media availability, on Ferguson Avenue North near a former homeless encampment, involved speakers who made allegations of injuries at the hands of officers during arrests tied to J.C. Beemer protests.
Several accusers told stories of how HPS officers were allegedly “callous” and assaulted them at Beemer Park and at central police station.
“As such, we notified the SIU for further investigation and they have now invoked their mandate,” Penman told Global News on Nov. 30.