Video shows man pushing shopping cart into Danforth bike lane, injuring e-bike rider

Toronto police say they're investigating an incident which sent an e-bike rider to the hospital.

Police say they’re investigating after a man allegedly pushed a grocery cart into a bike lane on Danforth Avenue, striking and injuring a food delivery courier on an e-bike.

The incident happened just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday in a dedicated bike lane on the north side of Danforth Avenue, near Monarch Park Avenue, just west of Coxwell Avenue.

Surveillance video shared with CTV News Toronto shows a man forcefully pushing the cart into the bike lane, hitting a cyclist who was travelling westbound.

The e-bike rider is then seen falling to the ground. The assailant appears to look back briefly before continuing to walk eastbound on the sidewalk.

Police tell CTV News Toronto that the victim was taken to hospital with unknown injuries. They are still trying to identify the suspect.

A second video from a door camera, which was also reviewed by CTV News Toronto, shows clearer images of the alleged perpetrator strolling away from the scene shortly before someone on an e-bike stops to help the injured cyclist.

Area business owner Holly Liddell provided both videos showing the incident and the suspect to the police.

She told CTV News Toronto that she “was “upset” by what happened.

Liddell, who often posts footage of crime-related incidents in the community to her local Facebook group, added that it seems that the suspect is a “regular in the neighbourhood,” adding that people in the area may know him and could give his name and address to the authorities.

Incident a ‘clear and present danger to cyclists and other road users,’ says lawyer

David Shellnut, a personal injury lawyer who specializes in representing injured cyclists and vulnerable people, said it‘s “heartbreaking” to see acts of violence committed against cyclists.

“It could have been me. It could have been my neighbour. It could have been my wife,” he told CTV News Toronto this morning.

“This is such a random act of violence perpetuated against someone riding a bicycle. It really should give everybody pause.”

Shellnut issued a news release on Wednesday morning, drawing attention to the video and making a public appeal for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect.

He told CTV News Toronto that he hopes the footage will “create awareness amongst cyclists to be wary and stay safe.”

“Our hope here is that people will band together so that justice is served,” Shellnut said, pointing to a past case his firm took on where a cyclist was allegedly purposely struck by a person on a motorcycle.

In that instance, his firm also shared video of the incident, which he said helped police apprehend the suspect.

“We do see this a lot. We’ve seen an uptick in aggressive behaviours on the roadways since the pandemic and even since the premier has come out shouting against bike lanes,” Shellnut said.

“We want people to really be careful out there. If you see someone who’s dangerous, behaving aggressively we want you to report that. … If you’ve seen this individual specifically, don’t confront them. Contact the authorities.”