Witness video obtained by TVA Gatineau shows officers attempting to restrain one of the bicyclists to the ground. The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday on Avenue Gréber. Police say two officers stopped four cyclists for traffic violations and asked the two men and two women to identify themselves. “Immediately, the four bicyclists became agitated and wandering around the officers. They refused to identify themselves,” Gatineau police officer Andre East said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. “A request was made for assistance from officers to get the support of their colleagues to continue the operation and when other officers arrived at the scene, tempers continued to flare. Some of them showed signs of fleeing and aggression and at some point one of the men pushed one of the two police officers, resulting in the physical intervention of the police officers.” Two men and a woman were arrested. Police say charges of obstructing and assaulting a police officer will be referred to the Director of Criminal and Criminal Prosecutions. The four cyclists, aged 19 to 22, were fined for not cycling in the same direction as traffic and riding on a pavement. The four bikers stopped by police denied Gatineau police’s claims, telling TVA Gatineau they gave their names to police from the start, but one of the officers still refuses to let them go. “The SPVG reminds everyone that it is important for everyone’s safety to respect the Highway Safety Code, for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, and that the law requires a person who has committed an offense under the Quebec Highway Safety Code to identify a police officer upon request,” East said.
