Off-duty Peel police officer involved in alleged assault in Stratford: SIU

Peel Regional Police badge. (The Canadian Press Images/Francis Vachon)

The province’s police watchdog has terminated its investigation into an alleged assault at a Stratford hotel involving an off-duty Peel regional police officer.

According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), on Nov. 5, the officer was at a hotel in Stratford for a youth hockey tournament when he became involved in a dispute with two other men. The SIU said one of them “adopted an aggressive posture” toward the officer as if intending to strike him. The officer then struck the man twice in the face and once in the neck. The man fell to the ground and suffered a broken leg, the SIU said.

In a new release issued Tuesday, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Director Joseph Martino said he was not satisfied the officer “exercised the powers of a peace officer” in connection to the incident. As a result, the SIU has no jurisdiction to continue its investigation, it said.

The matter has been referred to the Stratford police for further investigation.

Peel regional police did not immediately reply to a request for comment.