Quebec City Police Believe An Officer Committed A Crime During Recent Violent Incidents

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New details have come out in the investigation of a series of high-profile incidents involving Quebec City police. According to the Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ), investigators "have reasonable grounds to believe" that one of the officers allegedly implicated in the incidents committed a criminal act.

The SPVQ said in a December 6 press release that it had referred investigations to the Ministry of Public Security. Given what the SPVQ called the "exceptional nature" of the situation, the province's independent police investigation bureau, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), is now also involved.

The Quebec City police force previously confirmed it was conducting an internal investigation into the two incidents.

Already, five officers have been suspended after a video of a violent arrest of two Black individuals circulated on social media in late November. The video depicts a group of officers dragging and beating the individuals, at least one of whom is a teenager. One officer appears to kick snow into the teen's face while pinning him down.

The SPVQ has reportedly insisted that the individuals were resisting arrest.

Three of those five officers were involved in another incident in which one person was reportedly injured by police at a restaurant on the same night the video of the violent arrest was taken.

Quebec City police say their internal investigation "that encompasses all of these allegations" is ongoing. The force also says it's collaborating with the police ethics commissioner.

Videos of the two incidents involving Quebec City police have led to widespread outcry, including in the National Assembly. Québec Solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois has said the arrest of the two teens "has all the signs of a case of racial profiling."

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