This individual was just careening around downtown Belleville, screaming at passing automobiles, pedestrians... and whatever other demons were in his immediate orbit... when he decided, to the absolute dismay of non-psychotic folk in the immediate area... to pick up a sandwich board and start doing his A-Rod imitation.
At this point, the police were summoned... and to make a long story short, despite his colourful personal history... nothing, apart from, apparently, a cautionary word to said delusional person... was done.
See, explained the cop, the Ontario Mental Health Act notwithstanding... he didn't actually hit anyone... so we're just gonna let this one slide. Now, this will likely be of very small consolation to the person that "Mr Plan 9 from Outer Space" eventually lobotomises with street signage... but hey... that's simply how the cookie crumbles.
Silly me... I had thought that police were authorised, under the MHA, to detain anyone who was deemed to be a threat to themselves, or others... but I guess I was mistaken. We wouldn't want to force anyone to, say... take their meds.
Not to worry... there will be other opportunities to render assistance here. This unfortunate drifter will, no doubt, soon be back in the public spotlight... hopefully without some innocent bystander's blood on his hands.
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RELATED: Yeah, sure... let's just wait...
...until somebody's under the train...
-- TORONTO -- The man accused of trying to kill three Toronto teenagers at a subway station last week was suffering “auditory hallucinations” directing him to kill people, a judge heard Friday before ordering him to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment.*