OPP use of less-lethal firearm on Oshawa man under investigation

Durham | Oshawa | Crime | Latest News | Police |

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Published March 13, 2023 at 7:40 pm

The anti-riot weapon Enfield, or ARWEN, is a less-lethal anti-riot weapon, which is classified as a firearm. (Photo courtesy of the Special Investigations Unit)

An investigation has been launched into an OPP officer’s use of a less-lethal firearm on an Oshawa man.

According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which investigates all police uses of gunfire in Ontario, the OPP was investigating the 23 year-old man for existing warrants on March. 13.

They spotted him driving down Hwy. 401 in Oshawa around 1 p.m. The SIU said the man stopped his car and tried to flee the area on foot.

Police followed the man to near the Farewell St. off-ramp. As they tried to arrest the man, an officer fired an Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield (ARWEN) and hit him.

An ARWEN launches a variety of less-lethal ammunition such as impact batons and smoke grenades. The British government designed ARWENs for crowd control in the 70s, though they have been made in Canada since 2001.

As a barreled weapon which fires a round ARWENs are classified as firearms by the SIU.

While the SIU did not specify what form of ammunition the ARWEN fired, they did confirm the man was not seriously hurt. He was however taken to the hospital for assessment after his arrest.

Neither the SIU nor the OPP has commented on the man’s identity.

Anyone with information about the shot can call the SIU lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or report online.

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