A Somali immigrant charged with assaulting a Toronto cop hopes a grainy videotape that appears to show an officer shoving and punching him will prove his innocence.

Jama Said Jama, a 21-year-old landed immigrant from Somalia, maintains he was trying to break up a late-night fight in Toronto last August when police arrived on the scene.

"One officer said 'come here' when he got out of the car," Jama said. "So I stopped, and ... he came to me and he grabbed me by my throat and then he punched me," Jama said.

"Then the same officer who punched me, grabbed me, and he smashed me into the pavement, and then he started stamping on my head, which caused me to lose basically my tooth."

The video, which was shot by a bystander, shows Jama being punched and ends with him running off camera.

The officers, unaware the tape existed until Wednesday, filed disclosure documents to the court  that give a much different version of events.

 "I have the male (Jama) by the arm, bringing him to the side of the vehicle. Male strikes out with both arms hitting me," read the notes of the officer that Jama accuses of punching him.

The notes say Jama, who has no criminal record, suffered his injuries during a fight earlier that night. They have him apologizing for pushing the officer.

The video, taken without the knowledge of either Jama or the officer, shows Jama with no apparent facial injuries before his encounter with police.

Jama has been charged with assaulting a police officer. If he's convicted, he could be refused citizenship and deported.

But he's hoping the video will end the case quickly.

Jama's lawyer said the tape is a crucial piece of evidence.

"Without the video, I think you can ask any criminal lawyer, it'd be very difficult to defend. He might win. But the chances are that three police officers would be believed over one immigrant from Somalia," Andrew Vaughan said.

Police Chief Julian Fantino, already under fire over cameras in cruisers and allegations of racial profiling by his officers, won't comment because the matter is before the courts.

"We're going to get to the bottom of it," he said after reviewing the taped evidence.

Jama is considering suing the officers, but he first must be cleared of criminal charges.

With a report from CFTO's John Lancaster