Asked if he is one of the Despacito guys, the musician smiled and nodded. He is here from Rome, he said in broken English

TORONTO — One of two elusive accordion-playing buskers known for playing the hit Latin song Despacito on repeat while riding Toronto’s subway was busted by transit enforcement officers on Monday.

The accordion players, two brothers from Italy, caused a whirl of social media attention this month when video, photos and various strong reactions from fellow riders circulated on Twitter and Facebook.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

Two Toronto Transit Commission special constables corralled one of the accordion players — known as the guy who wears black, as opposed to his brother, who is the guy who wears red — on Line 1 Monday morning.

Officers on regular patrol boarded a southbound train at St. Andrews station about 11:15 a.m. and heard the distinctive harmonics and followed the Latin vibe until they found their man. He was asked to accompany the officers onto the platform at Union station, where the young man stood politely with his instrument slung on his back.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Photo by Adrian Humphreys / National Post

The officers showed him media clips of him and his brother as they issued him with an infraction notice. The brothers had been warned a few times previously. When a train arrived, the officers then ushered him aboard and stood nearby as he meekly sat down.

Asked if he is one of the Despacito guys, the musician smiled and nodded. Would he be playing it now, he was asked? “No, no,” he said, looking up at the transit officers.

He is here from Rome, he said in broken English. When addressed in broken Italian his face brightened, but said he didn’t feel comfortable giving an interview without a translator as his English is poor and a reporter’s Italian equally so.

When the train arrived at the Bloor-Yonge station, the officers beckoned and followed him off the train and through the station towards the Line 2 platform, where he got onto a westbound train.

As they escorted him through the bustling station, they walked past a TTC-sanctioned musician playing an acoustic guitar; the accordion player looked at him longingly, his eyes lingering on the fellow musician as he was walked down the stairs to a train platform.

Photo by Adrian Humphreys / National Post

The man was issued a summons, charged with the infraction of “interfering with the ordinary enjoyment of the transit system,” said TTC spokesman Stuart Green.

He faces a penalty of up to a $235 fine. He must appear before a justice of the peace who has the power to set the penalty.

“We’ve seen them a couple of times. We have twice issued them warnings,” Green said. TTC policy confines musical performances to pre-approved entertainers in certain areas in subway stations.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

A proprietor of a prominent Toronto music store said the two young men have been in his store before.

“The two kids were in the store a month or so ago with their parents to look at some accordions,” said Chris De Florio of Musical Instruments of Canada on Eglinton Ave. West. “I don’t really know much about them because they didn’t speak English and I was only able to converse with them through a phone app.”

“It’s nice to see that some people are really enjoying the accordion playing, but I can understand how others may prefer a more quiet ride on the subway,” he said.

The Despacito players remain a divisive transit issue. Shortly before the TTC intervention, Gabrielle Zilkha tweeted: “Angry man to TTC Despacito-loving accordion-playing kid: ‘ENOUGH ALREADY! THIS ISN’T F—ING NEW YORK!” Ironically the most New York thing I’ve witnessed on the TTC.”

The day before, Stas Ukhanov seemed excited to spot one of the accordionists in person, tweeting: “Just saw the TTC Despacito accordian busker. My Toronto life is complete.”

National Post with files from Jake Edmiston