QUEBEC CITY -- Quebec City police are dealing with a case of bullying so severe that it landed in their hands.
Late Tuesday night, officers finally subdued seven teens between the ages of 14 and 19 who were allegedly very aggressive towards police who wanted to arrest them.
They will have to face justice for what the city's police force describes as extreme intimidation of young victims.
The seven suspects, six of whom are minors, were released on a promise to appear in court and will have to abide by conditions not to bother the alleged victims and not to communicate with each other while police continue to investigate them.
The Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ) says that at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, a 911 caller reported that two minors were being harassed and followed by a group of approximately 10 suspects, some of whom were masked, in the Val-Bélair area.
Police also say that a few days earlier, one of the two victims, a girl, had been threatened with serious injury and was being intimidated on a daily basis.
This victim reportedly recognized one of the bullies and indicated on her 911 call on Tuesday that the suspects appeared to be armed with knives.
Shortly after the call, two police officers located the seven suspects. They did not cooperate when they were stopped and even surrounded the officers. The officers then called for backup.
Several suspects actively resisted arrest, according to police, who added that they had to brandish a taser but did not have to use it.
All seven suspects were arrested for stalking and wearing a disguise with criminal intent.
A search resulted in the seizure of three knives and a balaclava.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 8, 2022.
