A woman seen in a video stomping on the windshields of two police cars in a busy North York intersection is now facing charges.

Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash confirmed to CP24 Thursday that the woman, who police have previously described as being “emotionally disturbed,” has been charged with two counts of mischief.

While police said Tuesday that the woman was not going to face any charges, Pugash said Thursday that investigators have decided to charge the woman so she can “get the help she needs.”

“Let me clear, the reason that we’ve charged her is unfortunately it’s the only way that we can make sure that she has the best chance of getting the medical care that she needs,” Pugash told CP24. “She needs to be in the medical system, not in the justice system. So we’ve taken that step, reluctantly, but it’s the way that we believe gets her the best chance to get the care she needs.”

The charges stem from an incident on Jan. 1 near Finch Avenue West and Milady Road.

Officers responded to the intersection after reports of a woman acting erratically on the roadway.

In a news release, the responding officers said that the woman appeared “irate” and was “screaming at surrounding vehicles.”

A video taken by a witness shows the woman jumping on the hood of a police cruiser and stomping on the windshield, causing it to shatter. The woman then jumps off the back of the cruiser and smashes its rear window before turning to a second cop car.

The video then shows the woman jumping on the second cruiser and again smashing its windshield.

The officers involved were eventually able to apprehend the woman without incident and transported her to hospital for treatment.

No one was injured in the incident.

Pugash said police officers are “constantly” dealing with such incidents and that the numbers are only growing.

“Anytime somebody in a mental health crisis comes in contact with police, they’ve been failed by someone earlier on in the system and that can’t be desirable or sustainable,” Pugash said.

“Too often police are the line of last resort. It can’t be the best way and we’ve got to figure out a better way to handle this.”

Charges unfortunate but necessary

Steve Lurie with the Canadian Mental Health Association expressed similar sentiments.

Speaking with CP24 Thursday afternoon, Lurie said though its “unfortunate” the woman has been charged, it was likely the only option police had to ensure she could be properly treated.

“In this case, I understand they tried to take the woman to the hospital and part of what may have occurred is that she may have left the hospital or the hospital might not have admitted her,” he said.

“Police are probably now thinking, the only way to get her help – because she has likely been involved with police before in similar circumstances – is to probably lay charges and get them before the court and triage her into what’s called the forensic mental health system.”

According to Lurie, the woman would then be assessed to determine whether she is fit to stand trial.

If deemed unfit, a judge could then order treatment at facilities like the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, for example.

“Then, once she’s fit to stand trial, they would try to determine whether she was not criminally responsible for the two acts of mischief she was charged with,” he said.

Lurie said the process would then be handled by the Ontario Review Board where determinations on treatment and “loosened or discharged” orders would be decided.

“This speaks to the fact that there are not enough resources in the community,” he said.

“This may become the default and it may become more of a pattern because crisis services are overwhelmed. In Toronto, you can wait a year to get access to an individual case management service, you can wait a year to be referred to an assertive community treatment team which can provide the kind of care that this woman probably would have benefited from in the community prior to her getting into difficulties with police.”