Video of forceful arrest by Toronto police officers on TTC raises concerns

Video of a forceful arrest on a TTC subway train circulating on social media is leading to questions about the need for such a severe response.

Toronto police say they are aware of the video and that the “Professional Standards Unit is investigating.”

The video begins with a man seated and shouting as several officers stand by. Moments later, the officers appear to drag the man from his seat to the ground. The video shows one person kicking the suspect at least three times.

“Truthfully, if you saw any group of people like that pounding on one person, we would call that a gang assault. That’s essentially what happened. A number of cops in uniform assaulted this man in broad daylight,” said Lorraine Lam, outreach and community crisis worker.

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Lam is questioning the officers’ actions and the need for such a violent response.

Toronto police tell Global News on March 26th, “at approximately 11 a.m, police were called to Eglinton West subway station for an ‘unknown trouble’. Several people called 911 after a man allegedly assaulted a woman on the train and stole her phone.”

The individual was charged with one count of robbery and three counts of failure to comply with probation.

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“There is no justification for how the police responded to that. Also, I didn’t see them identify anything about, ‘Hey, we’re here because we heard you stole a phone. Can we have the phone?’ Did they get the phone back? Is this how you try to get your phone back after someone steals something?’” asked Lam.

Police say the victim of the alleged assault did not sustain any injuries.

Lam wondered whether the man who was arrested was hurt.

“I have serious concerns for that individual. Are they OK? Do they have lawyers speaking for them and advocating for their rights? Do they have injuries from being kicked by like five police officers wearing steel-toed boots?”

Global News contacted the TTC for comment, but have yet to receive a response.