Man arrested at Leafs game, Toronto police say suspect assaulted 3 guards and 1 officer

Editor’s Note: Court documents reviewed by CTV News show that the charges against the accused were withdrawn by the Crown on August 13, 2024

A 37-year-old man is facing charges after police say that he bit an officer and spat at security guards while being taken into custody at Scotiabank Arena over the weekend.

According to police, the incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday during a game between the Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche.

Police allege that event security staff attempted to check on the wellbeing of a man, who subsequently became confrontational with the guards.

Investigators said the man then assaulted three security guards and later an officer who was called in to make an arrest.

Parts of the incident appear to have been captured in a video posted to social media over the weekend.

The video appears to show multiple security guards and possibly other employees struggling with the suspect on the ground in an arena concourse while dozens of patrons looked on.

At one point in the video one of those people appears to strike the man with his knee multiple times, both in the back of the head and in his face. The man appears to be bloodied during the video.

Police tell CP24 that the individual was treated at the scene by paramedics but “refused further medical attention.”

Police have not commented on the video. Meanwhile, in a statement, MLSE said it is aware of the incident and is conducting “a full investigation, in cooperation with Toronto Police Service.”

“Any update will be reserved pending the outcome of the investigation,” MLSE said.

The accused, 37-year-old William Anderson, of Ancaster, Ont., has now been charged with three counts of assault and one count of assaulting a peace officer.

He is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto on March 12.