Quebec City police officer charged with assault

Quebec City police badge. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

Quebec's police watchdog announced Monday that assault charges have been laid against a Quebec City police officer following two investigations into police operations last fall.

Jacob Picard, 27, was charged by way of summons, the Bureau of Independent Investigators (BEI) said in a statement. He is expected to appear at the Quebec City courthouse on Nov. 28 to face charges of assault causing bodily harm and assault.

The Quebec government mandated the BEI to conduct the two investigations in December 2021, after violent altercations last year, including some caught on video. In one of those incidents, the officer was captured on video appearing to forcefully throw a bar patron against a wall in a business on or about Oct. 17, 2021, in a bar on St-Joseph Street. 

The BEI said its investigations also concerned an event on or about Nov. 20, 2021 on Grande-Allée Street and de la Chevrotière Street. 

The BEI said in a statement it would not provide further details, citing "respect for the judicial process."

The Quebec City police chief, Denis Turcotte, said he wanted to "get to the bottom of things" to understand what happened in the altercations after they were published in the media. Picard was one of five officers who were suspended last year in light of the events coming to light. He was back on duty and assigned to administrative duties in early 2022. 

A Quebec City police spokesman said Monday that the department would not comment further.

With files from The Canadian Press