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“You do not reach inside a f—ing police vehicle,” the officer yells as he gets out of the car and a commotion ensues. The man yells back “what are you guys doing?” and screams for help.

The camera shakes violently and it’s not clear what is happening. Someone else is heard instructing the man to get on the ground.

In an interview, the 19-year-old man said the police officer did not pull him over, but asked for his rental car papers after he parked his vehicle at his townhouse complex. The man said he told the officer he was going to get his camera and made good on that promise. He said he leaned in to the cruiser to record the officer’s name tag with his iPhone. He also accused the officer of choking him when he got out of the car, and hitting him in the head repeatedly before he was cuffed.

He was charged with assaulting a police officer, and released that night. “They had me on the floor in handcuffs, so how could I fight back?” the man said.

The incident occurred on Monday at 2:30 in the morning.

Lawyer Selwyn Pieters shared the video on Twitter and brought it to the attention of Deputy Chiefs Peter Sloly and Mark Saunders, both contenders for the job of being the next police chief.

Deputy Chief Sloly responded that the matter is being investigated by the Professional Standards unit. Police spokesman Mark Pugash declined to comment further.

Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack suggested there could be an element of “police baiting” involved.