Halton regional police have released a statement after a video was posted to Facebook showing the arrest of a man who is deaf.

The incident happened on Tuesday in Burlington.

In the video, which was posted to social media the same day as the arrest and has since garnered over 230,000, an officer tells the man to turn around and put his hands behind his back. The man can be seen making a writing motion to the officer, seemingly asking him to write down what he means.

“I am not going to write it for you,” the officer can be heard saying.

After a short time, another officer arrives and the two of them force the man to the ground and put him in handcuffs.

Halton police posted a statement on Twitter saying they had previously dealt with the man and they were able to “effectively communicate” with him without the use of sign language.

“Halton Regional Police Service responded to a reported theft of numerous items, including over-the-counter medication and razor blades,” said police. “Based on witness accounts and surveillance video a suspect was identified and located in the area.”

Once the man was in custody he communicated with an officer familiar with American Sign Language to explain the situation prior to the arrival of an ASL certified Interpreter, according to police.

Police said the male was charged with theft and was held for a bail hearing.