toronto police

Questions persist after video shows Toronto cops stopping Black bike courier

A video taken in Toronto appears to show a Black bike courier being pulled over by police after making a legal left turn.

They then seem to let him go right after they see they're being filmed from another vehicle.

The video was posted to Instagram on June 27 by user Kris Siddiqi, and was taken outside the A&W near College and Ossington. The cyclist was making a legal left turn onto Ossington, according to the Instagram caption.

"The food courier was going east on College, and waited just behind the middle of the intersection, so he could turn left on to Ossington. The moment he turned, he was buzzed by those police buzzers," Siddiqi told blogTO.

"I've been biking in this city for 20-plus years of my life, have made exact left turns like that, and have never gotten 'pulled over.' There was only approx 10 to 20 seconds of interaction between the cops and the courier before the cop who was driving noticed me."

Siddiqi says it was his son who encouraged him to film the interaction. "We've been discussing police and police brutality. So here's to the next generation who will always be watching."

There are dozens of comments of support on the video, with people saying things like "Good job!" "We all need to see that and realize that that happens all too often," "No more hiding," and "And why wouldn't he want us recording everything? If he's such a good cop what does he have to hide?"

blogTO reached out to Toronto Police Media Relations who issued this statement: "There are many infractions under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario in which a police officer may issue a fine to a cyclist....In regards to this video, without speaking with the involved officer, I do not know the reasons he was speaking with this man."

Update from Toronto Police Service Media Relations: I spoke to the officer about this incident. Although the intersection was clearly marked with signs prohibiting turns, this was not about a turn.

The courier was riding at dusk with no lights or reflectors and was very difficult to see. The officers, concerned for his safety, had a brief conversation only offering a suggestion that he should get a light for his safety. The officers indicate that the conversation was friendly and all parties were very respectful.


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