The man arrested Tuesday following an armed assault that occurred inside the Longueuil courthouse has been formally charged with attempted murder.
In addition to the charge of attempted murder, Alexandre Garcés, 44, faces charges of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and carrying a weapon with a dangerous purpose.
He appeared Wednesday morning by videoconference from the premises of the Longueuil Agglomeration Police Service (SPAL). The Crown opposed his release before his return to court for the bail hearing on Thursday.
Unusually, the Crown prosecutor indicated in the courtroom, shortly before her appearance, that the South Shore legal aid lawyers refused to represent the suspect.
“They have a conflict of interest. They cannot find another legal aid lawyer elsewhere,” complained Alexandre Garcés before being granted access to a telephone in the afternoon by the judge.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM ALEXANDRE GARCÉS’ FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
Alexandre Garcés
The victim, Hai Thach, a well-known and highly regarded court interpreter, was still between life and death on Wednesday morning, after suffering serious neck injuries.
According to several witnesses met at the Longueuil courthouse shortly after the incident, the attack took place on the first floor of the building. After being stabbed, the victim allegedly took refuge in a toilet while the suspect tried to flee before being arrested by special constables.
According to the SPAL, Alexandre Garcés was not known to his agents and he did not know Hai Thach, which suggests that the interpreter was the victim of a gratuitous gesture. The suspect had no criminal record.
The attack has reignited the debate on the security of courthouses outside Montreal, according to several actors in the judicial system.
Unlike a few rare establishments, including the Montreal courthouse, the Gouin judicial center and the building housing the Court of Appeal, courthouses elsewhere in the province do not have any particular security measures.