Questions are being asked about the use of force by an undercover Toronto police officer against a civilian during the arrest of another individual last weekend.
Video exclusively shot by CityNews shows a group of undercover officers attempting to subdue another individual in an alleyway in the area of Dundas Street East and Victoria Street Lane around 7 p.m. on August 3.
As the officers continue to subdue the individual, a man walks up and puts his hand on one of the officers which is quickly swatted away. Two of the officers then identify themselves by producing their badges when a third undercover officer rushes in and forcibly pushes the man to the ground.
The man appears to hit his head on the concrete and is immediately surrounded by other passersby. The officer who was seen pushing the man to the ground approaches the group and while being questioned, gestures toward the other officers while appearing to provide an explanation before going back to the group of officers.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit tells CityNews it is looking into the incident, adding that “the man was taken to hospital via EMS and diagnosed with serious injuries in hospital.”
The Toronto Police Service tells CityNews it informed the SIU about the incident in the early morning hours of August 4 but could not comment any further as they are currently investigating.
The incident comes on the heels of a Toronto police officer charged with aggravated assault after a person in custody was injured last January and an investigation into another officer’s conduct after she was captured on video making an inappropriate gesture towards a citizen during a spat about illegal parking.