Video shows man in Toronto brazenly smashing stranger's bike in fit of rage
A Toronto cyclist posted a shocking video to social media, showing a man violently smashing the user's bicycle in an apparent fit of rage.
The video shared on X by user @saintfridaa shows a man ripping a bicycle from a bike lock outside of the University of Toronto's Bader Theatre, ensuring its owner would never ride it again through a prolonged flurry of rage.
At one point, the man can even be seen lifting a heavy dislodged bike lock and smashing it down on the destroyed bicycle.
Though it may appear to be a fit of anti-cyclist rage at first glance, the second half of the clip, surprisingly, shows the man mounting his own bicycle and riding off after ensuring that a complete stranger's bike was reduced to a twisted heap of trash.
😭😭 my bike was completely destroyed by this man at U of T (in front of Bader theatre) - if you know him, please message me pic.twitter.com/QTRGs7QtT7
— frida ☆.*。 ☭ 🇵🇸 (@saintfridaa) April 17, 2024
Dozens of comments and quotes of the post express confusion over why someone would do this, ranging from questions about the mental health of the man in the video to comments on the general declining state of Toronto amid overlapping housing and food affordability, crime, and mental health crises.
WHO DOES THAT!!?
— cawfee connoisseur (@tater_joes) April 17, 2024
Several people have spoken out about the brazen act of destruction, including former Toronto mayoral candidate Gil Penalosa.
"Unfortunately Toronto Police does NOT care about bicycle issues," said Penalosa, who added that politicians are also not doing enough to clamp down on crime in general.
My wife had her bike stolen last week at Bay and King. @TPSOperations response was thanks for filing a police report, but we’re not doing anything about it, even though there’s clearly a theft ring in downtown Toronto again. What a joke.
— Mike (@Mikeontario3) April 17, 2024
The owner of the bike commented, "I loved this bike so much and this happened while I was at work, now I gotta get a new bike," and added they were "devastated."
it’s actually so fucked… I can’t believe this happened
— frida ☆.*。 ☭ 🇵🇸 (@saintfridaa) April 17, 2024
One commenter suggested that the man may have been trying to steal the bike, though the owner of the destroyed bicycle replied, "I don't even think he was trying to steal my bike, he was taking his rage out."
Regardless of the motive, the incident proves that even securely locking your bike in a visible location in broad daylight may no longer be enough to ensure its safety in Toronto.
@saintfridaa/X
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