Brantford police officers cleared after firing ARWENs: SIU

The headquarters for the Special Investigations Unit is seen here.

Ontario's police watchdog has found two Brantford Police Service officers did not commit an offence when they fired their Anti-riot Weapon ENfield (ARWEN) at a 34-year-old man.

On April 13, Brantford police officers responded to a domestic dispute between a woman and a man.

A report from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says officers arrived to find the man seated on the front stoop of a residence, while holding a knife.

“The man did eventually drop the knife. However, when he quickly moved to retrieve it, he was struck with the probes of a conducted energy weapon fired by an officer. At the same time, two other officers fired a single round from their ARWENs, neither of which struck the man,” the report reads.

The SIU said there are no reasonable grounds to conclude that either subject official comported themselves other than lawfully in their dealings with the man.

According to the report, the SIU found, given the circumstances, it was imperative that he be immediately immobilized from a safe distance.

The SIU said the ARWEN rounds missed the man, but he was taken into custody and transported to the Brantford General Hospital