Freedom Convoy trial hears from Ottawa police on second day

A police officer testifying at the trial for two 'Freedom Convoy' organizers tells a judge that as the protest dragged on, it became harder and harder to police demonstrators who were breaking laws.
    
Inspector Russell Lucas was called by the Crown as a witness on the second day of the trial for Tamara Lich and Chris Baber, two of the convoy's main organizers and the first to answer for their charges of mischief.
    
He tells the court that initially, protesters co-operated with police as more than five-thousand trucks rolled into Ottawa in late January of 20-22.
    
But Russell testifies that as the days passed and protesters refused to leave, officers were more likely to get swarmed as they tried to enforce the law.
    
He says, for instance, more backup was needed as police tried to stop protesters setting off fireworks near the National War Memorial.
    
The Crown's case against Lich and Barber rests on establishing its assertion that the pair orchestrated the blockades on downtown Ottawa streets and encouraged supporters to stay as police ordered them gone.