For the second time in as many months, a well-known family in the luxury automobile industry in Montreal has been the victim of violent criminal acts.
“We’ve been breaking our heads since this morning, we’ve been trying to understand,” said John Scotti, whose family has been in the luxury car world for more than 40 years.
During the night of Sunday to yesterday, around 1:30 a.m., a projectile lodged in a window of the John Scotti Luxury Prestige dealership, in the Kirkland sector.
A Centurion Solutions patrol car, which provided security at the scene, was also hit by a bullet.
Fortunately, the security guard who was in the vehicle during the events was not injured. He initially thought he heard firecrackers.
According to our information, three suspects quickly fled after committing their misdeed. None of the many luxury cars on site were damaged (see box).
The police were able to consult the surveillance cameras of the establishment, which are very numerous outside.
another incident
However, it is no coincidence that a vehicle from a security company was present.
Photo QMI Agency, Pascal Girard
Last June, vehicles from the John Scotti Mitsubishi dealership were the target of an arson attack.
According to a source, the company was hired following an arson attack that occurred on June 5 at the John Scotti Mitsubishi dealership in the Saint-Léonard borough.
Around 11:20 p.m., the police had advised that two parked vehicles were engulfed in flames in the parking lot.
Traces of accelerant were found at the scene by the police. The vehicles were only damaged at the front.
“It’s tiring, when you don’t know why things like that happen. […] It’s really not fun, ”said Orlando Scotti, who is the owner of the Mitsubishi dealership.
Failed attempt
According to him, it would be “young suspects” without much experience who attacked his business. They had tried to set the fire for the first time the day before the events in June, but without success.
Since then, the Scotti family has reinforced its security at its dealerships in Montreal.
In these two cases, the Montreal Police Service has still not made any arrests. We are trying to establish if there may be a link.
“At the moment, it is too early to confirm anything. The investigation is still ongoing […] there is information to analyze and validate,” said spokeswoman Véronique Comtois.
Other events that occurred last night, such as a burned vehicle in the LaSalle area, are also under investigation.
Nothing to be ashamed of
The Scotti family hopes, however, that this is a coincidence and that no one blames them. She says she collaborates “fully with the police”.
“We have no idea what caused this situation. […] We have nothing to reproach ourselves for. We believe that an error has occurred, ”assured Pasquale Scotti, one of the managers in the family business.
– With Maxime Deland and Jean-Louis Fortin
A few of their luxury vehicles for sale
Photo by Antoine Lacroix
Several luxury vehicles sold by the Scotti family, which has been in the business for 40 years.
- Maserati MC12 2005 $5M
- 2015 Porsche Spyder $2.6M
- 2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ $2M
- Ferrari 599 Sa Aperta 2011 $1.8M
- Ferrari 812 Superfast GTS 2021 $969,900
- Rolls Royce Cullinan Black Badge 2021 $699,900