Police watchdog to investigate Quebec City officer linked to two violent arrests
Quebec City police (SPVQ) said Monday there are reasonable grounds to believe a police officer has committed a crime in two incidents following a series of videos in recent days showing violent altercations with the public.
The two incidents were referred to Quebec’s public safety ministry. Citing the “exceptional nature of the events” and an agreement with the province, the SPVQ agreed to also refer the cases to the police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).
The BEI says the two incidents that it will now analyze took place on Nov. 20 in the city's Grande-Allée and Chevrotière sector and on Oct. 17 inside a "licensed establishment" on St-Joseph Street. Investigators' jobs will be to determine the circumstances of the two incidents and help Quebec's public prosecution office, the DPCP, determine if charges should be laid.
Public Safety Minister Geneviève Guilbault said Monday that her department mandated that the BEI get involved.
She also confirmed that the two incidents being investigated for possible criminality are the third and fourth video that surfaced last week.
In the third video, posted to Instagram, an officer is allegedly seen dispersing a crowd outside a bar appearing to hold a tear gas device. The officer can be heard saying to a man, “Do you want me to tear gas you?” while swearing at him just before he forcefully shoves him back into a police cruiser.
The fourth video was taken from surveillance footage inside a bar where officers were enforcing the vaccine passport. In the video, published by Le Journal, an officer can allegedly be seen throwing a man into a hallway, causing him to hit a wall head first and split open the skin.
The man was reportedly there to celebrate a birthday, according to his spouse.
The BEI said witnesses of both events can contact them by emailing bei_allegations@bei.gouv.qc.ca.
"My responsibility is to ensure that a strong bond of trust is maintained between our citizens and our police officers. The Service de police de la Ville de Québec has conducted its internal investigation in a diligent manner, which has led it to make allegations to me regarding possible criminal offences," Guilbault was quoted as saying in a news release from the province on Monday. "I am therefore requesting that the Independent Investigation Bureau review these allegations as provided for in the Police Act. I salute the speed and thoroughness with which the SPVQ acted in this case."
She told reporters Monday that she also mandated that the Police Ethics Comissioner investigate the actions mof police officers seen in the first and second videos that came out last week, which are still being probed by an internal SPVQ investigation.
All four videos appear to show the same police squad, known as GRIPP, which is tasked with patrolling bars and restaurants and enforcing public health measures related to COVID-19.
Last Tuesday, the SPVQ announced that five officers had been suspended, with pay, following the publication of the first video of a violent takedown of two Black youth outside the Dagobert bar. Of those five officers, three were said to be involved in a second incident at the Portofino restaurant.
The second video, captured by someone inside the Italian restaurant, allegedly showed officers kneeling on and punching 29-year-old Jean-Philippe St-Laurent on the floor on top of broken glass. He suffered a broken nose and a concussion.
It was later revealed that the same officer was involved in at least three of the videos published last week.
At a press conference last Thursday, Police Chief Denis Turcotte didn't say if the same officer was also implicated in the fourth video under investigation, but said, "We will get to the bottom of this."
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: What is wrong with Quebec City's police force? Alexane Drolet, Reporter at Noovo Info
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. schools turn to artificial intelligence to spot guns as companies press lawmakers for state funds
Kansas could soon offer up to US$5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
'It happened so fast': Evacuees describe fleeing Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire
Thousands have been forced to flee a wildfire burning near Fort Nelson. Meanwhile, some experienced volunteers are staying behind to fight the fire.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Michael Cohen takes the stand as testimony in Trump hush money case enters 4th week
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.