Morris said there have been numerous complaints from downtown business owners about the man.

He often causes a disturbance in front of some stores and shopkeepers and customers are afraid of him, she said.

On that day, police were seeking the man's arrest for breaching his probation. At about 1 p.m., the officers happened to see the man walking in a parking lot near city hall and moved in to arrest him.

Lucia Harrison, executive director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre in downtown Kitchener, was standing outside when the incident began.

"It was a vicious takedown," she said. "It was pretty brutal. I was totally shocked."

"I'm the first to say I don't know his history, but it could have been de-escalated in another way," she said.

Morris said she watched the video, read the officers' notes, reviewed the mandatory use of reports and spoke to the officers involved.

She said the officers conducted themselves appropriately, using minimal force.

Morris said the officers did take the phones of witnesses who were videotaping the assault with their phones because they were evidence.

The videos were looked at and returned to their owners, she said.

The arrested man, 35, of Kitchener, is charged with assault with intent to resist arrest, two counts of breach of probation and drug possession.

lmonteiro@therecord.com , Twitter: MonteiroRecord