City police have approached the man involved in a struggle with security guards outside a Calgary mall, seeking to investigate after a cellphone video of the incident was widely-circulated online.

But the passerby who shot the Youtube posting — which appears to show a guard punching Dan Doussept, who was pinned to the ground by several other officers — claims police that attended the scene Saturday night had little interest in pursuing the matter.

Tremaine Lea said the Calgary Police Service officer didn’t even bother to watch the entire video.

“I had the impression he was giving a lot more credence to the security guard’s version of the events,” Lea said.

“He told me that if the police had responded, it would have ended in the same way.”

He said the officer showed him a small pair of scissors the guards at Chinook Centre had apparently found on the man. Lea said he never saw them brandished during the altercation and assumes the guards found them on the man after he was subdued.

CPS spokesperson Kevin Brookwell said Doussept did not wish to provide a statement at the time of the incident, but investigators proactively contacted him when he later expressed his intention in the media to file a complaint.

“Regarding the allegation about the officer’s statements to the video guy (Tremaine), it is my understanding the officer viewed the video,” Brookwell said in an e-mail reply to questions.

“Without speaking to him directly, I can’t confirm what was said to the person.”

Provincial regulators that licence security officers confirm they have been informed of the incident, one of 17 around the province in the past two years in which guards have been accused of using excessive force.

Officials with Cadillac Fairview Corporation have refused to answer questions or be interviewed, but late Tuesday the mall’s owner announced it had fired one of the guards involved.

“Disciplinary action included the dismissal of one individual and we will take further actions as more details emerge from our investigation,” Peggy Lim, the mall’s marketing director, wrote in an e-mailed statement.

“We take this matter very seriously and . . . our priority is to ensure the safety of all patrons, tenants and staff.”

The video, which now has more than 17,000 views online, begins with Doussept pinned to the ground by four guards. One yells at him to stop fighting. The 31-year-old replies that he didn’t do anything, complains that his head is being smashed into the ground and explains that he can’t put his arm behind his back because of a prior injury.

Another security guard approaches and appears to throw three punches in Doussept’s direction. In the latter stages, one guard accuses the man of having earlier thrown a punch and another can be heard saying, “I’m going to f--- you up.”

Security experts who have viewed the video have either questioned or condemned the behaviour of the security guards.

David Hyde, an independent security consultant who used to ovesee all of Cadillac Fairview’s security, said the company has one of the most robust training programs in the industry for its guards.