Ontario's police watchdog has cleared officers with the Ottawa Police Service of any wrongdoing in the discharge of an Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield (ARWEN) towards a 26-year-old patient at the Montfort Hospital last summer. SIU director Joseph Martino said Friday that after a review of all the evidence, there were "no reasonable grounds" to believe officers committed a criminal offence. Ottawa police officers were dispatched to the mental health unit of the hospital on the evening of July 10 after staff required assistance in restraining with a violent patient.
The man had cautions on police file for violence, and he was known to be proficient in martial arts, an SIU news release said. On arrival, officers attempted to open a door to speak to the man, but he rushed towards the door. Officers were able to close the door and lock it.
The door was reopened shortly after, and an officer launched a round of the "less-lethal" weapon, which fires foam-tipped rounds. The round missed the man but allowed officers to enter the room, subdue and handcuff him. No injuries were sustained by the patient or the officers, the SIU said.
"Given the violence he had exhibited to staff at the mental health unit, the tactical team were within their rights in seeking to arrest the Complainant to preserve the peace," Martino wrote. "I am also satisfied that the force used by the SO in the course of the Complainant’s arrest, namely, the discharge of his less-lethal launcher, was legally justified. The t.
