Ontario father demands accountability after autistic son's arrest for assault
A Cambridge, Ont. father wants answers after his adult son, who has autism, was arrested and charged with assault after an encounter with a jogger.
On Sept. 18, at around 8:50 a.m., Soren Martin was walking on the sidewalk along Jamieson Parkway on his way to catch the bus that takes him to work.
“I was walking, walking too fast,” Soren recalled.
The 48-year-old then knocked a woman jogging on the sidewalk.
“I tripped her up,” he added.
According to Soren’s father Glaspa Martin, Soren later said he did not purposely run into the jogger. Glaspa confirmed Soren walks quickly and would have been focused on getting to work.
“It was an accident,” Glaspa told CTV News. “And Soren indicated that, over and over again: it was an accident.”
Soren got on his bus, but when it stopped at the Cambridge Centre transit terminal shortly after 9 a.m., he was arrested by officers with the Waterloo Regional Police Service.
“Police officers arrested me. Taken straight to the hospital, immediately,” Soren recalled.
Glaspa said he received a call from Waterloo Regional Police at 10:20 a.m. but did not pick up, thinking it was a scammer. Twenty minutes later, police called again, and this time he did answer.
“The person, she identified herself, and said… my son Soren was arrested for assault and he’s at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital.”
Glaspa went to the hospital where he ran into Soren’s job coach, who had also been called. He found Soren in handcuffs, which his father said left marks on his wrist. The job coach then told Glaspa that Soren had asked officers to loosen the handcuffs.
Soren Martin shows his injury from wearing handcuffs during his arrest by Waterloo Regional Police. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)
Soren’s father also learned a blood test had been done on his son, and he wondered who had authorized that procedure. He believes Soren’s parents should have had a say.
“Based on the fact that he would not be able to articulate certain things, then of course, an adult or a parent should be called,” Glaspa explained.
He’s concerned assumptions were made about his son.
“My only reason for believing why he was taken to the hospital, which was not explained to me, [was] because Soren walks very brisk and, of course, is not able to articulate well,” Glaspa said. “I believe they thought Soren must be on drugs or he must have been intoxicated.”
Soren was charged with assault.
Glaspa Martin sits with his son Soren Martin in Cambridge, Ont. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)
Waterloo Regional Police did not provide an interview to CTV News, but sent a summary of the incident as reported to them, which reads, in part: “A female was running in the area of Jamieson Parkway and Franklin Boulevard when she attempted to move out of the path of a male who proceeded to body-check her, causing her to fall to the ground. The male tried to kick the female while she was on the ground before being startled by a passerby honking their horn. It was reported that the male laughed and ran away, boarding a Grand River Transit bus.”
Soren’s father told police at the hospital that Soren would not have intentionally knocked someone over, or tried to kick the woman.
“I said: ‘No, Soren would never do such a thing,’” Glaspa said. “Soren, of course, over the years has shown no sign of being violent at any point in time.”
The family has many other questions, including why handcuffs were used on Soren and who authorized a blood test.
The family has cited research from Britain’s National Autistic Society, which says using handcuffs should be avoided when police encounter individuals with autism.
Cherri Greeno, the director of corporate affairs for the Waterloo Regional Police Service, said officers are limited as to what can be said while the case remains before the courts. She did, however, provide a list of eight reasons for the use of restraining devices:
- To prevent the escape of a prisoner in custody
- When the prisoner has been arrested for an offence involving violence
- When the prisoner has displayed violent tendencies or is resistive towards any member
- When the prisoner is perceived to have capabilities superior to those of the member
- For the safety of the public or members involved
- To control a number of prisoners being transported
- To prevent loss or destruction of evidence on or about a prisoner where an immediate and effective search cannot be made
- To prevent a prisoner in detention from self-injury
Greeno said any medical procedures would have been done under the direction of medical professionals.
CTV News also reached out to Cambridge Memorial Hospital who declined to comment, citing patient privacy.
Greeno also added that officers are provided with a variety of training courses, including an Autism Spectrum Disorder course “which outlines some of the indicators that a first responder can recognize as indicative to an individual with autism, as well as some strategies and recommendations that may help first responders adapt or modify their approach to better support the individual in an emergency situation.”
Soren’s father does not believe more training is what’s needed, but rather, accountability.
He said he’s speaking publicly about what happened to his son so it doesn’t happen to others.
“I would like to create some kind of awareness about autistic people and, at times, the way they are treated,” Glaspa explained. “Society should know, and equally law enforcement, the vulnerability of these people.”
Soren has a court date at the end of October. His father would like to see the assault charge dropped – along with an apology.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon, telling her supporters that her 'heart is full.'
Canada orders wind up of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok's Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Newfoundland hockey player suspended, banned from local arena after off-ice fight with fan
A combination of a thrown stick and thrown punches have given a senior hockey player in Newfoundland a three-game suspension and an indefinite ban from one of his league's six arenas.
Controversial Australian Olympic breakdancer 'Raygun' retires from competition
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has told a Sydney radio station that she plans to retire from competition just three months after her unconventional routine at the Paris Olympics led to her being ridiculed and spawned conspiracy theories about how she qualified for the Games.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
Kamala Harris made a historic dash for the White House. Here's why she fell short.
"Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win," U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday in her concession speech.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.