Mohawks from the Kanesatake reserve barricaded a highway near Oka, Que., following a chase involving provincial police early Saturday morning.
Two Sûreté du Québec police vehicles were damaged during an incident sparked by a traffic stop involving a patrol vehicle around midnight. There are reports that police cars ended up being pursued by other vehicles and were run off the road.
Between 12 and 15 people blocked Highway 344 west of Montreal by dragging trees onto the road.
Police spokesman Gregory Gomez del Prado said protesters also set fire to a tree trunk that was on the road and barricaded two other entrances to Kanesatake.
Police contacted the Mohawk band council, who convinced the demonstrators to end the blockade around 4 a.m. ET. The road was cleared by Quebec transport ministry employees by 10 a.m.
Charges were expected to be laid against a number of people involved in the barricade, police said.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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