Toronto police are now investigating a violent confrontation between transit enforcement officers and two men which was captured on a video that surfaced online.
The police intervention comes after Toronto Transit Commission CEO Andy Byford asked Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair to have his force review the matter.
The video, posted on YouTube, shows a physical altercation between two men and the transit enforcement officers while many others look on.
At one point the video appears to show one transit officer holding a man against a wall and punching him repeatedly. Another officer is seen wrestling with an older man on the floor.
The TTC says the incident took place on Jan. 29 at Union Station, a major downtown transit hub, after a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game.
It says two men became involved in a fight with one transit enforcement officer and notes that it did not involve a fare dispute, though the provocation "remains unknown."
A second transit enforcement officer arrived to assist in the matter before police arrived.
The two men were later charged by police with assaulting the transit enforcement officers.
"The entire incident, from the moment the (transit enforcement officer) and two men became involved in an altercation, will be considered and reviewed by police," the TTC said in a statement. "The TTC wants to ensure any use-of-force by its officers is justified and that approved procedures are always followed."
The police's Professional Standards Unit will lead the investigation. Surveillance footage from the subway station where the incident took place will be among the materials it will analyze.
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Given the seriousness of this matter, the TTC has requested the police to independently review the incident," the TTC said. "No public complaints have been filed about this incident."
