The four young people behind a commotion over a possible kidnapping in Gatineau on Friday evening now face criminal charges, since everything indicates that it was a joke “in very bad taste » towards a friend.
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“People don’t realize the impact it can have in a community to make a joke like that. It disturbs the peace. There are people who sincerely believed that a person had been kidnapped,” Newspaper Patrick Kenney, public relations officer at the City of Gatineau Police Department.
Three young men and a young woman aged 16, 17, 18 and 19 wanted to scare their friend by accosting him in the street, then putting him in the back trunk of a vehicle and fleeing, Friday at the end of the day.
The pranksters as well as the victim were finally contacted by the authorities, after receiving information from the public on Saturday morning.
Charges
No police intervention would have been necessary. The group showed up safe and sound at an SPVG post.
Until then, these young Gatineau residents were not known to the authorities. However, investigators will continue their analysis of this case.
And because of this “reckless behavior”, the suspects risk finding themselves in court for having unnecessarily launched an investigation, indicates the SPVG.
Notices of violation of the Highway Safety Code could also be issued, since the vehicle took to the road with a person in the trunk.
Unusual
The Gatineau police had also called for help from the population to find a person who could have been kidnapped while walking on Gauthier Street, heading south.
“The case was treated as real. We deployed a lot of resources to ensure the safety of the alleged victim,” argued Patrick Kenney, of the SPVG.
A red Nissan Altima or Sentra 4-door vehicle was sought, and precise descriptions of the suspects were publicized.
“It’s quite unusual. […] Off the top of my head, I can’t remember the last time something like this happened. [sur notre territoire]said Officer Kenney.