Analysis by Amanda Erickson @ WashingtonPost.com, April 24, with video & description of apprehension

[....] Such actions are part of a concerted effort by the Toronto Police Service to have its officers de-escalate dangerous situations rather than open fire. In the past, Toronto police had faced widespread criticism for their use of force. In one incident from 2013, an 18-year-old named Sammy Yatim was shot nine times and killed by officers responding a call claiming Yatim had a weapon.

“That and other high-profile police shootings in recent years prompted scrutiny of officers' use of force, and led to formal calls to change police tactics in order to de-escalate standoffs,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reports.

Earlier this year, the Toronto Police Services Board passed a motion to provide hundreds of officers stun guns instead of guns. Toronto law enforcement officials have also conducted an extensive review of their “use-of-force options,” the CBC reports, and done several training sessions on de-escalation. Police are “taught to use as little force as possible in any given situation,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said at a news conference after Minassian's arrest. [....]