Bystanders interfere with arrest at Sheridan Mall (Video)

Another Toronto police officer is facing scrutiny after video surfaced showing a violent takedown outside an LCBO surfaced online.

According to reports, two men were at the LCBO at Sheridan Mall near Jane Street and Wilson Avenue when they saw a police officer tell a black man he wasn’t allowed to enter. One of the men filmed the encounter.

The officer, who was on paid duty at the store, had the authority to determine who was and wasn’t allowed into the store, a police spokesperson said.

Things escalated when the officer attempted to give the man a trespass notice and was struck in the chest area, the spokesperson said, adding the officer suffered a cut to his head.

According to the man who shot the video, the officer then punched and pinned the man, while bystanders shouted obscenities at the officer.

Backup officers arrived several minutes later, and the man was escorted to the back of a cruiser.

The man who shot the video believes this is a case of racial discrimination, while police say the officer was justified in making the arrest.

Police said the suspect in the video is a 25-year-old man of no fixed address. He is facing charges of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

Agencies/Canadajournal