16-year-old victim of an armed assault

Sonia Roy

On the night of August 25, 2022, police officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) had to intervene on Rue des Flandres, in the Gatineau sector, following a call reporting an armed assault. The victim, a 16-year-old teenager, contacted the 9-1-1 emergency centre shortly after midnight and told the emergency services that he had been assaulted by several people in the Touraine district. When police arrived on the scene, the victim's injuries were deemed severe enough to require the intervention of paramedics. Paramedics transported the teenager to an Ottawa health centre for treatment and he is now in stable condition. Since the incident involves minors, the identities of the victim and his assailants are not known to the public.

By simultaneously conducting sweeps in the area of Rue des Flandres, the officers of the SPVG were able to locate and arrest four people in connection with the armed assault. Two males aged 17 and 18 and two females of the same age were arrested and taken to the police station to meet with investigators. The 18-year-old male faces charges of assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and robbery of a person. He appeared by video conference and will remain in custody until his next hearing in September. The other three people, the 17-year-old man and the two women, were released without charge. "The investigation is continuing, but the evidence gathered so far tends to show that the motive for the assault was robbery." said a statement shared by the SPVG and the City of Gatineau. Investigators and crime scene technicians from the SPVG proceeded to analyze the scene of the assault the same day, benefiting from the services of police officers specialized in ground searches and a dog handler for the task. A second scene, this one on boulevard de la Gappe, not far from the scene of des Flandres street, was also of interest to the investigators and was also analyzed.

Although everything suggests that this was an isolated event, the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau is continuing its investigation and mentions that other arrests could follow. Citizens who have information about the assault or the persons involved are invited to contact the SPVG's information line at 819 243-4636 (option 5).

Photo caption: SPVG criminal investigation header

Photo credit: Courtesy of the SPVG