You have to wonder how a man in the back of a police cruiser manages to pull out a gun.
A disturbing report by the Toronto Sun says there is video of a prisoner in the back of Toronto Police cruiser. He's handcuffed but he's able to pull the gun out from the back of his pants and into his lap. The video was later obtained by CTV News Toronto.
The Sun reports that the incident on Sunday night has led to an internal investigation.
A source tells the paper that it doesn't look like the man was trying to fire the gun, but instead, he may have been trying to ditch it before he got to the station.
The officers reportedly did a search when they arrested the man but the gun was hidden in a way that they didn't notice it.
The video has reportedly been making the rounds among police officers, so much so, that the head of 51 division, the downtown detachment involved, sent out a memo telling officers not to share it.
Toronto Police have identified the man in the video as 38-year-old Ali Showbeg from Mississauga, who was originally arrested in an impaired driving investigation.
He's facing a total of 17 charges, related to impaired driving and firearm offences.
In response to the video, Police Chief Mark Saunders released the following statement:
"The safety of your officers and the public is of paramount importance to the Toronto Police Service," said the Chief. "Our officers face risks every day in their jobs. In this case, a call for a suspected impaired driver resulted in multiple firearm-related charges against an individual who allegedly concealed the firearm during his arrest by police. The officers conducted a search of the accused and the gun was not detected. The incident is under investigation to assess if this is a training or disciplinary matter."
Saunders went on to say, "I have ordered a full investigation into the leak of the in-car camera evidence which is a clear breach of protocol and procedure."
The Professional Standards Unit of the Toronto Police Service has started an investigation.