Kim Phillips – CTVnews.ca Barrie Digital Producer
A Barrie police officer under investigation for using an anti-riot weapon during a standoff last fall has been cleared of any criminal offences.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) invoked its mandate following the incident at a home on Innisfil Street on Nov. 25, 2021.
The agency says officers went to the residence to apprehend a 39-year-old man for psychiatric assessment, but when they gained entry to the house, the man refused to come out of this room.
The report states that an officer used a battering ram to open the door and found the man holding a knife taped to a pole.
The SIU says police tried to de-escalate the situation for several hours, trying to calm the man, including using a conducted energy weapon and an anti-riot weapon ENfield (ARWEN).
“After a standoff that lasted over four hours, the man surrendered to police officers of his own accord,” the report states.
Following an investigation, the SIU concluded there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer acted unlawfully.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
