A situation that left several buildings in Vankleek Hill damaged on Sunday, July 16 is under investigation by Ontario’s police watchdog agency.

According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), it is investigating a vehicle-related injury associated with the situation.

Information obtained from the SIU states it is investigating after a 21-year-old man was reportedly diagnosed with serious injuries following a single-vehicle collision while fleeing Ontario Provincial Police officers in Hawkesbury on July 16. Preliminary information the SIU has suggests that at about 5 a.m. on July 16, police were notified of two vehicles travelling at a high rate of speed in front of the detachment building. Officers located the vehicles and attempted to stop the drivers. One driver stopped and the other driver fled. A short-time later, a 911 call came in about a vehicle that crashed into a church at 29 High Street in Vankleek Hill, which is Knox Presbyterian Church. The driver fled. Officers located the man and arrested him.

The man was taken to hospital and no injuries were diagnosed. The man attended hospital later and was diagnosed with serious injuries.

The SIU has identified one subject official and four witness officials for the investigation. These are officials who were involved with the occurrence.

In addition to the church, damage was also sustained to the front of Bedtek Computers, Art and Dream Studio, Nicko’s Resto-Bar, and Arks Harvest.

The SIU is required to investigate all incidents involving police where there is a serious injury, death, allegation of sexual assault or discharge of a firearm by an official at a person. The SIU defines serious injuries it investigates as those likely to interfere with the person’s health or comfort and is not transient or trifling in nature.  A serious injury includes: 

  • an injury that results in admission to a hospital;
  • a fracture to the skull, or to a limb, rib or vertebra;
  • burns to a significant proportion of a person’s body;
  • the loss of any portion of a person’s body; or
  • a loss of vision or hearing.