A 24-Year-Old Woman Has Been Arrested After Coughing & Spitting On Police

Coughing on another person is not just gross, it’s actually a crime. That’s what one Ottawa woman has learned the hard way this week after she was arrested for deliberately coughing on a police officer. The 24-year-old woman, who claimed to have been exposed to COVID-19 in Ottawa, now faces assault charges.

If you’re going to cough on somebody during the COVID-19 pandemic, be prepared to face some pretty serious consequences.

A young Ottawa woman is preparing to face charges of assaulting a police officer, as well as obstructing/resisting arrest, and more, after purposefully coughing in the face of police officers.

Early on Sunday morning, Ottawa Police responded to a call about a possible break-and-enter, located on Forward Avenue in Mechanicsville.

When police arrived at the scene, they found a woman on the premises, who refused to identify herself to officers.

While the situation was not determined to be a break-and-enter, the property owner requested that the woman be removed from the home.

Officers learned that there was a warrant out for her arrest.

According to CTV News, she initially resisted arrest, and deliberately coughed on the police officers that were attempting to arrest her.

While coughing, she claimed to have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

In addition to coughing on arresting officers, Ottawa Police also report that the young woman spat at police staff during her transport.

The woman, who was identified as Brittany Lague by CTV News, has since been charged with assaulting a police officer, obstructing/resisting arrest, breach of probation and mischief.

During the current pandemic, Ottawa Police say that spitting and/or intentionally coughing on somebody is considered to be assault, and people who do this will be charged accordingly.

Unfortunately, there have been similar incidents across Canada, some of which have resulted in arrests and fines.

In Alberta and New Brunswick, people have been arrested for deliberately coughing in the face of police and neighbours, while Nova Scotia RCMP has been forced to issue a statement after they had received multiple “cough threats”.

In Toronto, an Uber driver issued a $76 cleaning fee to two passengers after they allegedly coughed inside the car.

On Sunday afternoon, Canada had 14,426 confirmed cases of COVID-19; 258 people have died.

*This article's cover image is for illustrative purposes only.