TORONTO -- Police officers with 51-Division are being praised for successfully ending a violent confrontation in Cabbagetown in which a man was seen throwing rocks at a lone officer.
The incident happened on Seaton Street, in the area of Dundas and Sherbourne streets, at around 2 p.m.
Video that appears to show the incident was posted online Monday by an area resident, who said she was making lunch when she heard someone yelling about a person stealing packages and throwing rocks.
According to the post, neighbours phoned 911 and a lone female officer was the first to respond to the scene.
In the video, a man is seen repeatedly hurling what appears to be a large rock at a police SUV. On one of the throws, the object shatters the back window of the police vehicle. The man then appears to retrieve the object and continues to hurl it at the police car as the officer tries to keep a safe distance.
The officer draws what appears to be a weapon and the man in the video then hurls the rock in her direction.
Within about two minutes, several other officers arrive on-scene and physically subdue the man.
The street is soon flooded with more police officers and cruisers.
Toronto police told CTV News Toronto that the video likely shows the incident police responded to on Seaton Street Monday.
Police said they were called to the area after a resident confronted the suspect about mail theft and was then allegedly assaulted.
In a message posted to Twitter, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders praised the officers involved for safely resolving the incident.
“Each & everyday the members of the @TorontoPolice use their training & skills to de-escalate critical situations,” Saunders said in the tweet. “I commend the officers at @TPS51Div who responded to calls for service & executed a safe arrest of an aggressive suspect without further incident or injury to anyone.”
Toronto police said Kola Alex Ogunkoya, 42, has been charged with theft of mail, assault with a weapon, mischief over $5,000, assault of a peace officer with a weapon, and uttering threats.
Speaking with CP24, Toronto police spokesperson Const. David Hopkinson said that the officer involved was able to keep “her cool” in what was a very difficult situation.
He noted a couple of key points from the video of the incident.
“There was no one else being threatened, so there’s no need to hurry or to get into a confrontation where it puts her and the suspect’s safety at risk. She waits for backup. She’s using time and she’s using distance to try and keep herself safe while occupying the suspect,” Hopkinson said.
With files from Katherine DeClerq
