Man seriously injured in interaction with Toronto cop: SIU

Ontario's police watchdog says it investigating after a man was seriously injured in an interaction with a Toronto police officer during the arrest of another individual earlier this month.

The Aug. 3 arrest by plainclothes officers was captured on video that was published online by CityNews on Thursday.

The incident unfolded around 7 p.m. in a laneway near the corner of Dundas and Victoria streets downtown, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in an email.

In the video, a group of plainclothes officers can be seen trying to subdue a person while several bystanders watch from a short distance away.

One of the bystanders eventually approaches the officers and puts his hand one of theirshoulders. At that point, two of the officers appear to show the man their badges and seem to be yelling athim to move away.

Shortly after, another plainclothes officer is seen running into view of the camera. He pushes thatman, who then falls hard to the ground and appears to hit his head on the pavement.

That officer then joins the arrest while other bystanders attempt to provide the injured man medical attention.

According to the SIU, the man was taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with serious injuries. The SIU did not elaborate further on the nature of his injuries.

A spokesperson for Toronto police said the service notified the SIU about the incident at 1 a.m. on Aug. 4.

"The SIU is currently investigating, and by law, we cannot comment further," the spokesperson said.

The SIUis an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulted in death, injury or the discharge of a firearm, or led to allegations of sexual assault.