Ontario Provincial Police will conduct an independent investigation into a violent arrest in Barrie that was caught on video and posted to social media.

The video was captured by a bystander and posted to Facebook on Thursday. It appears to show a Barrie police officer hitting a man with what appears to be a Taser and a short time later, smacking his head onto the pavement during an arrest.

In a statement issued on Friday morning, Barrie Police said that the arrest occurred on Dunlop Street East at around 3 p.m. on Thursday. They say that the individual taken into custody, a 20-year-old man, was charged with causing a disturbance and assault in an attempt to resist arrest. He has since been released on a promise to appear.

“In an effort to ensure the process is transparent and accountable I have asked the Ontario Provincial Police to conduct the investigation into the events that took place in Barrie on February 4,” Chief Kimberley Greenwood said in a statement. “I acknowledge the public’s concerns being expressed based on the limited availability of information at this time. I want to assure the community that any findings of misconduct will be pursued.”

Barrie police say that the officer involved in the arrest has been reassigned to alternate duties pending the outcome of the investigation.

The suspect taken into custody was not injured during the course of the arrest and therefor the Special Investigations Unit, which investigates allegations of police misconduct, did not invoke its mandate.

The SIU only investigate incidents where there have been serious injuries or allegations of sexual assault.