Victoria Silman | News Editor
Featured Image: Toronto Police Services responded to an incident yesterday in which a student threatened to “shoot the class.” | Victoria Silman
Students may have noticed an increase in police presence yesterday, after a student was arrested in front of Booster Juice near Central Square and Curtis Lecture Hall.
A call to Toronto Police Services (TPS) was placed February 5, at 2:50 p.m. in response to an incident they classified as “unknown trouble,” on Twitter, according to Police Constable Allyson Douglas-Cook, a media relations officer for TPS.
“Reports were of a man in a classroom, threatening that he was going to shoot the class. This was the wording provided to us. A description of the man was given and our officers attended, where he was apprehended,” she says.
Deputy Spokesperson for York University, Yanni Dagonas, says: “Earlier today, York Security Services responded to a disruption in Curtis Lecture Hall F. Security escorted an individual from the class and contacted Toronto Police Service.”
One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, was in the class at the time of the incident: “Nothing major happened; he was just being aggressive,” she says.
Students have heard conflicting reports about the incident, including that the student was wielding a gun. An officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the student did not have a gun on him; however, he could not confirm whether the student was suffering from a mental illness.
Douglas-Cook confirmed the incident does concern a student with a mental health issue. “He has since been arrested under the Mental Health Act, which means he is going to be taken to a hospital,” she says.
Students were alerted to the situation when police were seen holding assault rifles and making their way through campus.
One student on the scene, who wished to remain anonymous, says: “I was in the old Student Centre, I saw the police going towards York Lanes. They turned back and went to Central Square. That’s when I came to see what was going on and saw this guy.”
A tabling event was also underway throughout Vari Hall, Ross hallway, and Central Square at the time of the incident, fostering a large array of witnesses.
James Beirne, from the group YU Divest, was able to capture the arrest on camera.
“The cops came by and one of them had an assault rifle, so I went to see what was going on. They were talking to some guy who was on the bench handcuffed, and while this was going on, security came and held people back. They also searched his bag,” Bairne says.
“A York employee, perhaps a liaison, asked if I was from the media, and said she was concerned with people’s privacy. To which I responded ‘I was concerned about the guns on campus.’ She said: ‘It was part of the protocols they have in place for police who are dealing someone suffering from mental health issues,’” he adds.
“Unfortunately security wasn’t letting people close enough to know what was going on, but the liaison said it was a mental health concern with the student.”
York Security was unable to comment on the incident.
With files from Shahroze Rauf, and Mahdis Habibinia.
