A 78-year-old man who was arrested for honking his horn in support of the Freedom Convoy says he was surprised by his arrest and the rough...
A 78-year-old man who was arrested for honking his horn in support of the Freedom Convoy says he was surprised by his arrest and the rough treatment he underwent at the hands of Ottawa police.
Gerry Charlebois was handcuffed Sunday in an incident that was captured on video.
The arrest came as Ottawa residents have complained about honking from the remnants of the Freedom Convoy that remain in the city. The convoy of truckers arrived in Ottawa more than a week ago to protest vaccine mandates, with many of its members remaining in the city to press home their grievances.
Police have since said anyone showing support for the convoy will be arrested.
On Sunday, Charlebois was passing near the protest site when an innocent gesture began a chain of troubles that ended up with him being fined $118 for “unnecessary noise,” according to the Toronto Sun.
“I meant no harm. I just gave the trucker a thumbs-up and a honk,” said Charlebois, a retired school janitor.
Police were not amused and pulled over Charlebois, who was feisty in the initial moments of the encounter.
“I was in shock,” Charlebois said. “When [police] pulled me over, he told me I was in trouble for honking the horn.”
Charlebois admits throwing some intemperate words at the arresting officer.
“I was just upset with him,” he said, noting he had never been arrested before.
“Never,” he said. “He just pissed me off when he said that about the honking. It upset me.”
The video shows police being heckled by the crowd for their treatment of Charlebois.
It shows Charlebois going to the back of the van for his wallet, which contained his identification. After a bystander tells Charlebois he does not need to obey the police, Charlebois begins to put his wallet back in the van.
Then comes a takedown in which the officer twists his arm behind his back. Charlebois hits the pavement with one knee. Eventually, a second officer comes to handcuff the 4-foot-10-inch senior citizen as he is thrust up against his van.
“I’m so sore,” he said in a Tuesday interview. “It hurts so much.”
Charlebois “wouldn’t hurt anybody,” his son, Steve, said.
Another son, Gerald, said that police did not use similar tactics on others.
“They didn’t seem to arrest any of those big truckers like that,” he said.
“I find it disgusting,” Gerald said. “There was no need to be so rough with him.”
As of Tuesday, Charlebois’s son Steve said his father might need an X-ray over the damage he suffered in the encounter with police.
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