Gatineau police have confirmed two people were arrested after a confrontation at a private gathering on New Year’s Eve.
After receiving a citizen complaint, six officers from the Police Services for Ville-Gatineau (SPVG) arrived at the residence on rue Le Baron at 11:10 p.m. They found six people present — a violation of Quebec’s health restrictions.
In Quebec, all indoor and outdoor social gatherings are banned from December 17 to January 10.
The SPVG claims that they only intended to issue warnings and wanted to ask for cooperation in ending the gathering. However, there was a dispute during the interaction.
A video posted to social media Friday by one of the attendees has now been seen over a million times. The viral video shows part of the altercation and the forceful arrest of one man as he is removed from the house, taken to the ground and handcuffed.
After the footage gained traction Friday evening, Gatineau Police tweeted out that the alleged man had assaulted an officer.
“The video shows only an excerpt from the intervention. The individuals were recalcitrant and refused to cooperate,” said the SPVG. “The individual arrested in the video had assaulted a police officer, striking him in the face a few times.”
“We ask for your cooperation to continue to respect health measures and to cooperate in any police response.” the SPVG wrote in french.
The man seen being arrested in the video has been charged with assault and obstructing an officer. The homeowner was also arrested and charged with refusing to provide personal information. In addition, all six people were given a fine of $1546 for violating a public health act.
No one was hurt during the interaction and both of the people arrested were released.
While police in Quebec crack down on residents celebrating the new year, several politicians have violated the government’s public health orders by travelling abroad during the holidays.
