Car thieves sparked a major commotion on Wednesday in Montreal, to the point where one of them was shot by a police officer, very close to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district.
According to our information, patrol officers received a call around 4:30 p.m. for a vehicle theft case.
When they arrived, the suspects in the stolen Honda CR-V allegedly drove towards them.
At least one police officer then allegedly drew his service weapon and opened fire in the direction of the criminals, at the corner of Avenue Addington and Rue Saint-Jacques.
One of them was shot in the upper body, according to our information.
Another intervention
He was taken to hospital by ambulance to treat serious injuries. According to the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI), he was in critical but stable condition on Wednesday evening.
In images obtained by TVA Nouvelles, a man is seen getting out of a vehicle parked on the sidewalk, then being placed under arrest by the police. In another video, we see two other men being arrested by the officers.
It was also possible to note at least one bullet hole on the passenger door.
In a sequence of events that remains to be clarified, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) also had to go to the corner of Melrose Avenue and Upper-Lachine Road for another stolen vehicle involved in the ‘affair, learned The newspaper.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
The black Toyota 4Runner appeared to have been hastily parked by its driver.
According to a resident who prefers to withhold her identity, the police at one point asked the neighborhood not to leave their house as they were looking for a suspect.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
This chaotic event comes as authorities have cracked down on thieves across the country.
At the end of February, the SPVM announced the dismantling of a major network of thieves and had recovered around twenty vehicles worth more than $1.7 million.
Remember that 90,000 cars are stolen each year in Canada, including 15,000 in Quebec and 12,000 in Montreal.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
BEI
As is always the case when a citizen is seriously injured or loses his life during a police intervention, the investigation aimed at clarifying the circumstances of the event will be led by the BEI.
No fewer than six investigators will look into the case.
The Sûreté du Québec will take care of shedding light on criminal offenses that may have occurred before the intervention of the Montreal police.
By late evening, it was impossible to know how many arrests had been made.