Quebec City police believe officer broke the law during violent altercations

After several videos showing violentaltercations involving police officers, theService de Police de la ville de Qubecsays it has "reasonable grounds" to believe that an officer committed a criminal infraction duringtwo incidents.

The SPVQsays those files werefirsttransferred to Quebec's Public Security Ministry, and then to the province's police watchdog, the Bureau desenqutes indpendantes (BEI).

Monday's statement from Quebec City police did not specify which incidents are now the subject of a BEI investigation.

In a statement posted to its website, the BEIconfirmed it had been asked to investigate two allegations involving an SPVQ officerand said the two allegations involve the same individual.

As of last Tuesday, five officers who were involved in violent altercations, including one with two young Black people outside a downtown nightclub and another involving a white man inside a restaurant,were suspended.

After video of the two Black youth beingarrestedwas widely shared online, other people in Quebec City came forward with allegations that they had beenrecently mistreated bylocal police.

In response to the mounting allegations, the SPVQ said it would expand its investigation. During an update last week,Quebec City police Chief Denis Turcotte said the two Blackyouth seen in one of the videos were "resisting arrest."

According to the SPVQ's statement, theinternal investigation into all of the videos and incidents that were brought forward is still ongoing. It says it's actively co-operatingwith Quebec's police ethics commissioner, who was alsoasked investigate.

"There were four videos being circulated last week," saidPublic Security Minister Genevive Guilbaulttoday.

"I asked the police ethics commissioner to look at the first two videos, the events that took place the 26 and 27 of November," she said, referring to the arrests of the two young Black people and the man in the restaurant.

"I've [now]given the BEI the mandate to investigate ... allegations of potential criminal actions in the third and fourth videos,"she said.

Guilbault noted that the ethics commissioner is looking at police conduct in the first two videos and the BEI will be analyzing whether the actions in the third and fourth video warrant criminal charges.

The third and fourth videos surfaced last week and show incidentsthat took place before the events that launched the SPVQ and police ethics commissioner's initial investigations.

The third, which happened Oct. 17, showsa manbeing shoved through a doorway and hitting his head ona wall, after police detained him for not following public health measures inside bar and restaurant District Saint-Joseph

In the fourth video, from Nov. 20, apolice officer is heard swearing and threatening to pepper-spray someone on Grande Alle street before shoving them into a police car.

A spokesperson for the BEI told CBCits mandate will be to try to establish the series of events of these two incidents and then submit their findings to Quebec's prosecutor's office.

The BEI says it's invitingany potential witnesses of either incident to get in touch by sending an email to bei_allegations@bei.gouv.qc.ca.