Quebec City police officer faces charges after watchdog probed violent arrests

QUEBEC – An on-duty Quebec City officer caught on video in a pair of violent arrests last year is facing criminal charges, Quebec’s police watchdog said Monday.

Jacob Picard, 27, was charged by way of summons with one count of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault.

The police watchdog — Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes — said in a statement that Picard will appear at the Quebec City courthouse on Nov. 28.

The violent arrests caught on video involved a specialized police squad that patrols the city’s bars. One arrest took place on the street in November 2021 in the Grande Allée sector of the city, and the second occurred at a bar on St-Joseph Street in October of that year.

A Quebec City police spokesman said Monday the force will not comment further and that the officer has been assigned to administrative duties since the watchdog’s investigation began.

Quebec’s public security minister ordered the investigation after Quebec City police determined there were reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence had been committed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2022.