Man arrested for allegedly shoving fire chief at accident scene

Man arrested for allegedly shoving fire chief at accident scene

A man was arrested Sunday morning for allegedly shoving the chief of the Pontiac North Fire Department near the scene of a single-vehicle accident on Rte. 303 N.

Emergency crews were called just before 10 a.m. on Sunday (December 3) after a truck towing a camper trailer went into the ditch between Otter Lake and Thorne near 2424 Rte. 303 N.

Pontiac North Fire Chief Denis Chaussé was at the scene and said that the victim had managed to extricate themselves from the vehicle by the time they arrived. While an ambulance was called, the victim declined to be taken to hospital for their injuries, which Chaussé said appeared to be minor.

While the fire department had the scene blocked off with their trucks, a man arrived and tried to walk past their perimeter, as he was apparently a relative of the accident victim. Chaussé said that when he tried to block the man’s approach, he was shoved and pushed up against the fire truck. He said that the man shoved him twice and he shoved them back once before other members of the department intervened, and the police officer at the scene made the arrest.

Chaussé said that in his 20 years as a firefighter he’s been yelled at while responding to calls, but things have never gotten physical.

Sûreté du Québec Sgt. Marc Tessier confirmed that a person had been arrested at the scene, and said that they were later released. The decision to lay charges is with the local Crown prosecutor, who will determine if and how the case moves forward. Tessier added that since the allegations are relatively minor, they won’t release any information about the suspect.