A 78-year-old man was handcuffed and arrested in Ottawa after honking his car horn in support of the “Freedom Convoy” on Sunday.
Footage from a bystander shows a 4-foot-10-inch-tall great-grandfather, Gerry Charlebois, being confronted by an officer before being handcuffed.
“What did he do wrong?” someone asked. “None of your f***ing concern, man,” an officer responded.
After being accused of “abusing old men,” the officer said “It’s an offense — it’s an offense to beep your horn. It is”.
On Monday, an Ontario judge granted a 10-day injunction that forbids truckers parked in downtown Ottawa from repeatedly honking their horns.
As one of the officers tried to restrain him, Charlebois was brought to his knees in the middle of the street and then handcuffed against the car.
Charlebois, a retired high school janitor, told the Toronto Sun that he was “so sore” from the injuries on his arms, hands, shoulder and knee.
“I meant no harm,” he said. “I just gave the trucker a thumbs-up and a honk”. He received a $118 bylaw ticket for “unnecessary noise” and was told he “was in trouble for honking the horn”.
Gerald, one of Charlebois’ four children, said his father’s arrest was “disgusting”. “There was no need to be so rough with him … They didn’t seem to arrest any of those big truckers like that,” he told the Toronto Sun.
Another one of Charlebois’ sons, Steve, said “He’s just 4 foot 10 … He wouldn’t hurt anybody”.