Video obtained by CBC Toronto shows a violent arrest by Peel Regional Police in Mississauga on Monday during which a black man appears to lose consciousness.

We see police throw the man to the ground, and we see him bleeding from his face as the police handcuff him. An officer’s knee is placed on his back at one point.

At least one witness said she thought the officers used excessive force.

The man was taken to hospital after his arrest, which took place at a restaurant near Hurontario Street and Dundas Street East around 5 p.m., according to Const. Tyler Bell-Morena, Peel police spokesperson.

Bell-Morena said the man suffered superficial cuts to his lip.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is not investigating the arrest, he said, because the injuries did not meet the criteria for an investigation. The SIU has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The man who was arrested, Craig Dhu, 31, told CBC Toronto he did nothing to justify it. He said he suffered from a thick lip, a cut to his mouth and neck pain.

“There is nothing to hide: attacked or wrongly accused,” he said.

Dhu said he was having a meal at the restaurant when the officers entered. He said he was waiting for a friend and watching videos on YouTube. He said he was not told why he was under arrest.

“These officers just showed up and they didn’t know what they were looking for. They didn’t know anything. They know themselves, they can check their body cameras,” he said.

“It’s just funny. They treat all of us black people there, or anywhere around that place in Cooksville, like we’re targets. As soon as you see a black person walking, he approaches us in a very hostile manner.”

Dhu said the officers did not tell him why he was under arrest and did not call him by name.

“He just came and started grabbing me by the neck, for no reason,” he said. “I was docile. They held my throat, trying to choke me. The moment I hit the ground, everything went empty.”

In the video, two officers can be seen atop Dhu. At one point, he manages to get up, only to be knocked back to the ground. Blood begins to drip onto the ground beneath his face and he appears to lose consciousness shortly after.

Dhu was charged with obstructing police and possession of cannabis with intent to sell.

“I didn’t assault any officer,” Dhu said.

Dhu said he had a small amount of recreational marijuana on him.

“It was just regular marijuana. It’s nothing. It’s legal in Canada.”

Bell-Morena defended his arrest Wednesday, saying officers witnessed what they considered criminal activity and then attempted to arrest the man.

“What led to the interaction we saw in this video was a drug investigation. The officers had grounds to arrest this individual, who then entered the establishment. The officers attempted to do so go out to make the arrest, without harming anyone else in the surrounding area, at that point he resisted,” Bell-Morena said.

The officers in the video are members of the Peel Police Community Response Team. He said the arrest was for what police believe was an illegal drug sale. He said the investigation began outside but led officers inside the restaurant.

“What appears to be some sort of sale took place between this individual and other individuals, who were also intercepted by police a short time later.”

Witness says police had other options

Bell-Morena said it was important to see the arrest in context.

“I advise anyone to suggest excessive force when jumping,” he said. “It’s important to understand a circumstance in its totality.”

The video does not show how the altercation started and police said they used force to subdue Dhu.

Bell-Morena denied that Dhu was knocked unconscious by the force of his arrest. He said the defendant’s eyes were closed at one point, but he was still actively resisting police.

“At no time was this individual unconscious. He was medically cleared,” he added.

He said police seized a quantity of what they suspected was marijuana.

Julie Bent Barnett, a woman who works at the restaurant, said she did not see Dhu selling drugs. She said the use of force by police was excessive.

“I just finished serving food to the injured gentleman,” she said.

Barnett said she spoke to the officers when they entered, but they ignored her. They stood behind Dhu, she said, and asked him if he was outside earlier, but he said no. They said he was under arrest and they put his hand behind him, she said.

“They took them off the chair, and sure enough, he tried to move, and they threw him against the wall, as you can see on the video, what happened. They got him thrown against the wall, then punched him, choked him, and he was knocked out,” Barnett said.

“All of a sudden the whole place was filled with officers.”

Barnett said she later found out Dhu had been released after being evaluated at the hospital.

She said police should have taken him outside or evacuated the restaurant before arresting him because their actions endangered the safety of everyone present.

“Just because you wear a badge doesn’t give you the right to do everything you need to do,” she said.