Spencer Bautz, a trucker from Saskatchewan, said earlier in the week that the warnings of arrests were merely scare tactics. By Saturday morning, staring down an incoming line of armored police, he had made a different calculation. “I’m going to hold the line as absolutely long as I can,” he said. “But my truck’s better off outside the city and smashed and dragged into some hole.”

Those who left willingly are not necessarily going to escape legal action. Interim Ottawa police chief Steve Bell said police will spend months pursuing charges. “If you were involved in this protest we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges, absolutely. This investigation will go on for months to come,” he said.

Private tow truck drivers played a key role in removing protest vehicles. When Trudeau declared a state of emergency Monday and granted the government sweeping new powers, one measure he specified was directing tow truck drivers to remove vehicles, for compensation. Protesters had been openly bragging about how tow truck companies did not want to work against the protests.