A widely shared video on social media is drawing ire from the public for showing a Montreal police officer swearing at a man in a wheelchair while another officer goes through the contents of his backpack.

In the video, recorded by a passerby and posted to Facebook, one of the officers is heard saying, "I'm going to give you a f--king ticket. You asked for it."

The same officer is also heard asking repeatedly, "What is your name?"

It's unclear from the video whether the man responds to the question.

Another officer is seen going through the contents of the man's bag, which had been slung over the back of his wheelchair.

Katherine-Marie Albisi, who recorded the video, witnessed the incident unfolding Wednesday morning while on a coffee break from work, at the corner of McGill College and Sherbrooke Street in downtown Montreal.

She told CBC News the altercation began when the man tried to cross the street in a difficult-to-navigate construction zone.

When the man neared the middle of the road, the light turned red, she said.

"He continued, because I guess he just didn't know what do."

"At that point, the cop directing traffic started yelling and saying, 'Just because you're in a wheelchair, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want,'" according to Albisi.

'It just kind of escalated'

Albisi said the officer ended up pushing the man in the wheelchair, and the man responded telling him not to touch him. That's when another police officer stepped in and pushed the wheelchair onto the sidewalk, she said.

The man in the wheelchair pushed back.

"It just kind of escalated," Albisi said.

Katherine-Marie Albisi filmed the incident on her smartphone. (CBC)

When the man said that he didn't have any identification on him, police searched the man's backpack and removed a prescription medication bottle to get his name, Albisi said.

"It was horrible," she said. "They never asked him to open his bag."

Albisi said the man ended up with three tickets, although she doesn't know what for.

She witnessed the incident along with her work colleague Margaret Levey.

Levey told CBC News she called the police afterward to report the incident. She plans to file a formal complaint with the police ethics commission.

Police respond to video

Cmdr. Danik Guerrero, who is in charge of Montreal police station 20, confirmed Thursday afternoon that he had seen the video and spoken with the officer involved.

He said the video needs to be put into context — namely, that the incident happened at a wide intersection with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic as well as construction.

Guerrero said the officer saw the man trying to cross the street and ordered him to stay on the median for his safety.

The man proceeded anyway, despite oncoming traffic, and the officer pushed him and his wheelchair to the sidewalk, Guerrero said, adding that the video captures what happened next.

Regarding the officer swearing at the man, Guerrero told CBC News that the language "was not appropriate."

"I personally met with him and told him that, for us, this is language that I don't approve of and the Montreal police service does not approve of," Guerrero said.

Otherwise, based on the information he received from the officer, Guerrero said he was only acting to ensure the man's safety.

He said any possible disciplinary action would be confidential.

Body cameras being tested

The incident comes as Montreal police test out body cameras on some officers as part of a pilot project.

Some Montreal police officers are equipped with body cameras like this one. (Submitted by Montreal police)

The goal is to ensure the transparency of police interventions and build trust between citizens and police.

Yves Francoeur, president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood, came out in support of the idea, noting the cameras may add context to what citizens post online.

"What you're going to see on YouTube is from the moment of the arrest, but we never have what happened before," Francoeur said recently.