Toronto police say an internal investigation is underway after a video circulating on social media appeared to show an officer giving a citizen the middle finger over an argument about alleged illegal parking last week.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 425,000 times on TikTok, two Toronto police officers are seen ordering Starbucks in the area of Front and Berkeley streets near the city’s Distillery District on Friday afternoon.
The exchange continues for several minutes and the officers eventually get back in their cruiser. The video then shows one of them giving the citizen the middle finger from the passenger seat of the cruiser.
The individual who took the video later told CP24 that he doesn’t believe the officer knew they were being filmed as by that point he had put away the body camera he was using previously. The footage, he said, came from a pair of glasses with a built-in camera.
I’ve worked many jobs that don’t let you leave to get coffee or food. Maybe these cops should have to pack their lunches and carry them in their vehicles for the day. Y’know, since it’s critical that they are always close to their vehicles. It’s so critical that they need to break the law to get food. They may as well bring their own food to stop their illegal behaviour and ensure they get to those “shots fired” calls quicker!