OTTAWA -- Two Ottawa police officers will not face charges in connection to the arrest of a woman who was refusing to wear a mask in an Ottawa grocery store.
The Special Investigations Unit launched an investigation after the woman suffered a broken left knee during the course of an arrest on Jan. 22.
Ottawa police officers were called to the grocery store just before 2 p.m. The call involved a woman who was refusing to wear a face mask, and who had previously trespassed from the store for the same offence.
The SIU says a summary of the Ottawa Police Service communication recording from Jan. 22 shows a witness requested police arrest because a woman, who had trespassed a week prior for not wearing a mask, was back and still not wearing a mask.
"The woman (known to be the complainant) is heard in the background explaining to someone else that she came back to take the fine so she cold go to court and fight it," said the SIU report.
The SIU says the floor of the lobby was wet from snow and ice being tracked into the lobby, and signage clearly indicated that persons entering the store must wear a face mask.
According to the SIU, during the ensuing arrest of the woman, she struggled and was grounded. The woman was transported to the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus, where she was diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture and underwent surgery.
In a statement on Friday, the SIU Director Joseph Martino said there was no reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the complainant's arrest and injury
