Police say the man was arrested and charged with three counts of assault, two of the alleged assaults were against police officers.

The Bell Street neighbourhood is well known to police as a hangout for prostitutes and drug dealers.

Pamela Connolly has lived in this area for seven years, and chairs a committee that deals with the security of her neighbourhood.

She defends the police.

"They have a very tough job, a very, very tough job. And they have responded with care and concern to the issues that we bring to them on a regular basis," Connolly says. An Ottawa man who says he saw police officers beating up a handcuffed man has filed an official complaint.

Eric McGinn says he couldn't sleep after witnessing the beating on Monday night.

"I was pretty certain he'd broken his jaw," McGinn says.

As he drove along Gladstone Avenue near Bell Street, McGinn says, he saw an Ottawa police officer smash a man in the face with his fist, even though the man was already in handcuffs.

"To assault a person who is defenseless must take a guy who is a real hero, eh! Like, this is disgusting," he says.

McGinn says he couldn't sleep the night of the incident. Today, he filed an official complaint with police.

Police say the man was arrested and charged with three counts of assault, two of the alleged assaults were against police officers. The Bell Street neighbourhood is well known to police as a hangout for prostitutes and drug dealers.

Pamela Connolly has lived in this area for seven years, and chairs a committee that deals with the security of her neighbourhood.

She defends the police.

"They have a very tough job, a very, very tough job. And they have responded with care and concern to the issues that we bring to them on a regular basis," Connolly says.