WATCH: Video captures moment a man was Tasered by police at Toronto’s Pearson airport Thursday night
TORONTO – Police have arrested a man at Toronto’s Pearson airport after he allegedly breached a security gate and tried to board a Turkish Airlines flight.
A video of the incident posted on YouTube shows a man holding a briefcase surrounded by officers at Terminal 1.
“Both uniformed officers and tactical officers who are deployed at the airport responded quickly, tried to make communication with that male,” said Peel Regional Police Constable George Tudos. “However that male was unresponsive to the police officers.”
After repeated calls to drop the briefcase, police said the man was Tasered and slumped forward to the floor as he screamed.
“In this particular case, it’s a secure area. It is a smaller, confined space and there’s a lot of civilians within that area,” said Cst. Tudos.
“So officers had to take safety into consideration while they were attempting to speak to that male and take him into custody.”
The man’s name has not been released.
A tweet by Peel police late Thursday evening said the man was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and was transported to hospital to be assessed. He is now undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
Peel police are standing behind the actions of the officers, saying sergeants and tactical units are trained to use Tasers and respond to these kinds of incidents.
“I think this is textbook,” said Const. Thomas Ruttan. “If you have someone who is non-compliant, if you have someone who’s being aggressive with officers, the best way to take that individual into custody is to utilize the conducted energy weapon. That way no one is injured.”
The man has not yet been charged in the incident.
With files from Marianne Dimain and a file from The Canadian Press
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