Quebec’s police watchdog confirmed on Monday it has been tasked with investigating two incidents involving an officer with the Quebec City police department (SPVQ).
The Bureau des Enquêtes Indépendentes (BEI), said one incident happened on or around Nov. 20 in the Grande-Allée and Chevrotière area of Quebec City, while the second happened on or around Oct. 17 in a licensed establishment on St-Joseph Street.
In a news release Monday, the SPVQ said the two incidents are connected to an ongoing internal investigation looking at four separate arrests which were caught on video and appear to show excessive use of force by officers.
“Based on information gathered over the past few days, we confirm that in two separate events, investigators from the Professional Standards Module have reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offense was committed by a police officer,” a BEI release said in French on Monday.
The SPVQ said as dictated by law, the two files were handed over to the Public Security Ministry and the decision was made to transfer them to the BEI.
The BEI says it will to determine the exact circumstances surrounding both events to allow the Crown prosecutor’s office to determine whether or not to lay charges.
The BEI is asking anyone with information to contact its services at bei_allegations@bei.gouv.qc.ca.
The two incidents are among several videos that have come to light involving the Quebec City police force since late November.
They are separate from videos of two violent altercations that occurred just hours apart on Nov. 26 and 27, including one involving Black teens outside a nightclub.
Five officers were suspended with pay in those two cases, which are currently under investigation by the province’s police ethics commissioner.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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