Ontario's police watchdog has dropped one investigation and cleared an officer of any wrongdoing in another following two separate incidents involving London police.
The Special Investigations Unit was contacted in February by a 36-year-old man about an incident with police over six years ago in which the man was tasered.
Police were trying to arrest the man at his house on December 6, 2011 when they fired a taser at him following an "interaction," according to the SIU. The man was arrested and taken to hospital.
“The evidence establishes the man did not suffer a serious injury. Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident,” said SIU Director Tony Loparco in a statement issued Tuesday.
Shortly after announcing it wouldn't pursue any further investigation into the tasering incident, the SIU also cleared a London police officer in a crash from last year.
The officer pulled over an Acura Integra at Culver Dr. and Third St. for having unattached licence plates around 8:25pm on October 13. The vehicle initially stopped but then sped away when the officer got out of his cruiser to approach.
Soon after, the driver of the grey sedan lost control of the vehicle and collided with a black SUV, carrying a mother and four children. A 30-year-old male passenger of the Acura was taken to hospital with two fractured collar bones, bruised and collapsed lungs, rib fractures, and a non-displaced fractured vertebra, according to the SIU.
Two investigators and one forensic investigator were assigned to the case. The SIU found the officer did not chase the Acura as it fled, noting he "calmly" told the police communications centre "as you heard, that vehicle just took off on me."
"It is equally clear that after the initial stop, he deactivated his emergency equipment and was specifically observed only reactivating it after his arrival at the collision scene, which is estimated by various witnesses as being between one to ten minutes after the actual collision," said Loparco in his final report.
Investigators found no evidence to support a claim by the injured passenger that the officer had used pepper spray on him.
"It is clear that not only did the [subject officer] respond to the situation in full compliance with the Criminal Code, the HTA and the Ontario Police Services Act, but he behaved at all times professionally, prudently, and with good common sense," said Loparco. "I cannot find any criticism whatsoever of the [subject officer's] actions but rather I would commend him for his calm and level-headed approach to [the Acura driver's] behaviour, and as such, find that there is no basis here for the laying of criminal charges."
Days after the crash, the 32-year-old driver of the vehicle was charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm, flight from police causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, driving while disqualified, and failing to comply with a recognizance.
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.