Toronto police have released photos of a woman who is accused of intentionally striking a police horse with a flagpole during a downtown demonstration over the weekend.
Police said they were conducting crowd management for a protest on Saturday in the area of Gerrard Street East and Parliament Street when the incident occurred.
Shortly after she allegedly struck the horse, the woman fled the area. Police said the horse did not sustain any injuries.
On Thursday, police asked for the public’s help identifying the suspect, who is described as between 50 and 60 years old, five-foot-two, and has a large build.
Police have made several arrests in connection with Saturday’s demonstration, which appears to be in relation to when officers were seizing a truck during the rally.
According to police, there were occupants in the bed of the truck, which they said was against the Highway Traffic Act. Police noted that they cautioned organizers about it.
While seizing the truck, protesters “became aggressive and assaultive” toward officers, police said, alleging that one woman threw horse manure at officers and another “intentionally used a flagpole to ‘spear’ at an officer.”
Videos from the demonstration disseminated on social media show officers using force – drawing concerns from protesters and prompting the organizers to call for an “independent civilian organization” into what they allege was police brutality.
“In the last two weeks, we have seen dramatic escalations and violence at the hands of the Toronto Police Service. These escalations are in attempt to criminalize and intimidate pro-Palestinian protesters off the streets,” Dalia Awwad, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement Toronto, told reporters at a news conference Monday morning.
With files from Alex Arsenych and Codi Wilson
