A Toronto man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting another man with a live python snake.
Police said in a press release issued Saturday that they responded to reports of a man threatening people with a python snake near the area of Dundas Street West and Manning Avenue at around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
It is alleged the man approached the victim with the snake, at which point a physical altercation broke out. The suspect then allegedly used the python to attack the victim.
Police quickly arrived on the scene and placed the accused under arrest. The victim was not seriously injured and there is no threat to public safety, they said.
A video of the incident shared on social media has garnered more than 100,000 views at the time of publication. In the video, an individual can be seen hitting another individual with what appears to be a snake.
Laurenio Avila, 45, of Toronto, has been charged with assault with a weapon and unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.
Avila appeared in court on Thursday and has been remanded into custody.
Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to contact police.
