A young criminal who used his gun because of a childish comment on his Gucci handbag pleaded guilty on Monday to five counts. Thomas Makdessi fired in the direction of complete strangers, in the middle of downtown Montreal at the end of the evening… for a simple remark on his purse.
The 23-year-old man at the time pleaded guilty to intentionally discharging a firearm, carelessly storing ammunition, possessing forged documents, possessing identity documents relating to another person and possession of the cannabis for the purpose of selling it.
Thomas Makdessi arrived all smiles in the dock at the Montreal courthouse, blowing a kiss to his co-defendant Salma Hatem. The young woman was present in the courtroom since she was never detained.
The facts date back to July 17, 2021. After shopping on Sainte-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, the young Makdessi and his spouse and co-accused Salma Hatem left the Foot Locker store. Shortly before 7 p.m., they encounter four men. One of them launches a comment on the purse Gucci by Thomas Makdessi.
The rather innocuous statement does not please the young criminal at all. He invites the individual to “come and settle it in the alley. He leaves, but the group of four men follow him.
“As one of the men waved his right hand at the height of his belt, Makdessi took his black pistol from his satchel and pointed it in the direction of the four men with the intention of frightening them and making them retreat. “, Can we read in the joint statement of facts filed in progress.
The young bandit advances to the center of Metcalfe Street and fires once more in the direction of the four men, without hitting them. Makdessi then flees in an SUV driven by Salma Hatem.
This scene, which takes place as shootings between armed youths multiply in the metropolis, is filmed by various surveillance cameras. These sequences allowed the investigators to identify the couple.
Police find a 9mm Luger FC casing on the ground at the exit of the alley near Dunn’s restaurant, not far from Dorchester Square. A bullet shirt and a bullet fragment are found under a blue Hyundai vehicle. These parts are compatible with a pistol that meets the definition of a restricted firearm. The weapon in question has never been traced, but Thomas Makdessi’s face is clearly visible on surveillance cameras.
Search
A search warrant was obtained by the SPVM after an investigation lasting several weeks.
Fifteen Quebec driver’s licenses, 19 Canadian social insurance cards, 11 bank and social insurance cards were discovered in a Lachine apartment associated with Mr. Makdessi and his spouse. The couple is arrested in October 2021, almost three months later.
Ammunition, $30,000 in Canadian money, a drone, cannabis and tobacco are also part of the seizure.
The postponement of sentencing was granted by Judge Silvie Kovacevich on Monday morning.
“So that Mr. can serve his sentence in prison and not in the penitentiary”, explained in the courtroom Me Stéphanie Basso, who defends the young shooter. The Public Ministry is represented by Mr.e Genevieve Boutet.
This request was made given the young age of the accused and the absence of a criminal record prior to the present offence.
Sentencing, a joint suggestion from both sides, was postponed to 1er June. The file of his co-defendant Salma Hatem was also handed over on the same date.
Last August, the accused found himself embroiled in another firearm story in Laval. While Thomas Makdessi was a passenger in a Range Rover, the driver, Zakaria Zaki Rouaghi, was arrested with a loaded Glock 19 pistol that was in his bag, according to the judgment. Thomas Makdessi’s wife then retrieved a gray bag from the Range Rover and rushed to bring it to their apartment.