Avi Levington, a Toronto resident, told CTV News Toronto that he took his 68-year-old mother to Toronto General Hospital on Elizabeth Street at around 9:30 am, where she was suffering from severe thigh pain. There they waited for about two hours before he stepped away to take a work call.

But in his absence, Levington said a stranger approached his mother, reached for her wallet, and stole it. The son continued on the same subject: "My mother was alone in the waiting room when a woman came and took my mother's wallet from her purse which was placed in front of her, and people around her were screaming and shouting for help."

Levington went on to say that despite his mother's illnesses, she managed to chase and confront the perpetrator, who went into a corner and started emptying the wallet's contents.

"My mother, besides being sick and suffering from very advanced scoliosis, so clearly walking is very difficult for her. She can walk but with great difficulty, yet she managed to get up and retrieve her wallet."

The staff did not respond at this stage, according to Levington, and instead, patients rushed to help his mother back to her wheelchair. The son said that upon his return, a minute or two after the incident, he noticed the absence of a security guard, which he found "very strange."

Also, after about five minutes, Levington said a security guard appeared and accompanied the woman who tried to snatch his mother's wallet from the waiting area.

Likewise, when contacted, the University Health Network, which oversees Toronto General Hospital, told CTV News Toronto that its emergency departments are "necessarily open to anyone.. and are often seen as a place of refuge for people experiencing homelessness."

Gillian Howard, a spokesperson for UHN, said in a statement, "This is a very unfortunate incident and anyone involved will be part of the investigation," adding that "Emergency departments have dedicated security staff for the area."

Additionally, Levington stated that he does not want to share his story as "one more person throwing stones at the system," but he hopes to make a meaningful change in healthcare.