Quebec Police Arrest 2 People and Fine 6 for Violating Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions at 7 People House Party

A man is expected to be charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, Gatineau police spokeswoman Mariane Leduc said on Sunday.

One woman was also arrested for refusing to identify herself, but was released as soon as she complied, Leduc said. Police said the woman may be charged.

Two officers responded to a house in Gatineau around 11:30 p.m. Thursday evening after receiving a complaint about a party, Leduc said.

She said two women opened the door and refused to cooperate with agents. They didn’t show their ID when agents asked for it, which is a crime, Leduc said.

There were six adults and one child in the house at the time, but Quebec’s current Covid-19 restrictions prohibit such gatherings. Leduc said that a person who lives alone can join another family or receive at most one family member for the vacation.

A video made by someone else in the house was posted to Twitter on Friday and shows officers confronting a man in the doorway. Shouts can be heard in the background.

Another man who was in the house can be seen trying to stop the man from being taken out.

Canadians are encouraged to stay at home while the second wave of Covid-19 worsens

Later in the video, we see officers physically restraining the man as backup officers arrive and continue to talk to some of the women in the house.

Gatineau Police tweeted Saturday that the video shows only part of the incident where a man was taken out of the house and that “the individuals were recalcitrant and refused to cooperate.” Police said the person arrested in the video assaulted a police officer and punched him in the face a few times.

CNN news partner CBC reported Saturday that the video was posted by Mathieu Tessier, the man who was arrested. Tessier told CBC he believes the police have used excessive force. He denies assaulting an officer.

Tessier acknowledged to CBC that they were taking a risk by holding a holiday gathering, but believed that if the authorities had been called, they would only have received a warning and a polite request to take the party apart. “The police can’t do what they did to us. They treat us like animals, like criminals,” said Tessier.

Leduc said six adults have been fined at least $ 1,000 ($ 1,546 Canadian) each for violating a public health law.

She said the man who was arrested was allegedly “charged” with officers and pulled one of the officers into the house.

No one was hurt in the altercation, and everyone was released on the spot after they calmed down, Leduc said.

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