2 taxi drivers charged after violent Airport Parkway protest, police say
37-year-old, 45-year-old charged with mischief over $5,000, possession of a dangerous weapon
Two more Ottawa taxi drivers have been arrested and charged by police after another dashcam video surfaced last week showing violence during a September shutdown of the Airport Parkway.
The 18-second dashcam video, posted on YouTube, shows four people approaching the vehicle as it attempts to exit from the Airport Parkway, two of them holding red Unifor flags on metal poles.
The two men with the flags then use the poles to repeatedly strike the hood and windshield of the vehicle, causing the windshield to crack.
A 37-year-old man and a 45-year-old man, both of Ottawa, have been charged with mischief over $5,000 and possession of a dangerous weapon.
The men appeared in court Tuesday morning and were released under the condition that they have no contact with each other or with Blueline employees. They also must stay one kilometre away from the Ottawa International Airport and the main office of dispatch company Coventry Connections.
3 other drivers charged for incidents on same day
Airport taxi drivers represented by Unifor Local 1688 have been locked in a labour dispute with Coventry Connections for more than six weeks over an increase in fees that certain drivers pay to get exclusive access to the airport's taxi stand.
The person who posted the video told CBC News the incident happened Sept. 8, the same day another video was posted showing people smashing the back windshield of a different taxi.
Three people were charged with mischief and possession of a dangerous weapon during that day's protests.