An uneventful couple from Montérégie had the fear of their lives after being woken up by armed officers from the Montreal police intervention tactical group who had come to the wrong door.
“They didn’t ask themselves if there was an A or a B,” says Marc-André Asselin. When my tenant has a pizza or Amazon packages delivered, it’s at the right address, there’s no confusion. To know that the Saint-Amable pizzeria is better organized than the SPVM is frightening. »
On the night of November 16 to 17, he and his spouse Sabrina Landry slept peacefully in their residence on rue Principale, in Saint-Amable.
The clock was supposed to strike in a few hours, but around 4:45 a.m., it was instead a big “bang” that suddenly pulled them out of bed. The GTI ram had just broken down their front door.
Seconds later, a stun grenade was thrown into the kitchen. Several officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) then entered, heavily armed.
The couple then think they are being robbed. Mr. Asselin jumps out of bed and opens his safe containing his registered firearms. The 32-year-old owns several and goes to the gun club in his spare time.
“All I thought about was protecting my girlfriend. There were three guys dressed in camouflage, he explains. It wasn’t clear it was the police, when you’re upstanding citizens you don’t expect SWAT to show up. »
Photo special collaboration, Marie-Laurence Delainey
Sabrina Landry and Marc-André Asselin in front of the barricaded front door of their residence after the intervention group passed through.
” drop your gun”
Marc-André Asselin and Sabrina Landry are two people with no history. The man quickly understands that he is no match for all these assault rifles.
“They shout at me: ‘drop your gun!” once, I tell them no, I drop not my gun if you don’t tell me who you are and why you’re with us. They didn’t respond except:drop your gun!” The second time they said it in a blood-curdling way. I got the fright of my life. »
He therefore leaves his weapon before being tackled on the ground and handcuffed.
His spouse is completely vulnerable.
“I have neither my glasses nor my contact lenses, I can’t see anything. I’m completely naked, I’m defenseless. With five or six guys around, she laments. They told me to sit on the bed, I took a pillow to hide. »
Photo special collaboration, Marie-Laurence Delainey
The entrance to the housing of their tenant, located in the basement and targeted by the operation.
Mistake on the person
The police then ask them to identify themselves. Despite the first names, surnames and dates of birth, they do not seem to grasp that there is a mistake about the person.
About 20 minutes later, after having searched the house, an officer spoke to Mr. Asselin and said: “Martin Brouillard, you are under arrest. »
“My name is Marc-André Asselin! M. Brouillard is my lodger, he stays downstairs! You have the wrong person! he shouts, annoyed.
It is the agents’ turn to be seized.
One of them removes his handcuffs while apologizing. Mme Landry, she finally gets permission to dress.
Other members of the task force move towards the right apartment to arrest the tenant.
At the request of the couple who owns the duplex, they do not break down the door this time.
Screenshot Provided by Marc-André Asselin
SPVM officers surrounding the house during the operation.
The good individual
Martin Brouillard has several criminal records.
According to our information, the 46-year-old man was the subject of an arrest warrant for death threats and possession of a weapon. He now faces criminal charges.
The person who filed the complaint against him lives in Montreal.
This is why the SPVM intervened on the territory of the Régie intermunicipale de police Richelieu-Saint-Laurent.
His accommodation is in the basement of the building, he has a separate parking lot and an independent entrance at the back. The number of his apartment is indeed 1472 and that of the couple is 1472 A.
The A is indicated on official government documents, such as the post office box and driver’s license, but not on the facade of the residence.
“They had however surrounded the house before smashing, but did not ask questions. When they realized it wasn’t us, they said, “Ah, that’s the back door, huh?” denounces Sabrina Landry.
A source told the Log that the Richelieu-Saint-Laurent police intervened twice in the fall at the home of Brouillard, without choosing the wrong door.
A patrol car from the same police force also accompanied the SPVM that morning. Brouillard’s vehicle was also in the parking lot of the apartment, very close to the correct entrance.
Photo special collaboration, Marie-Laurence Delainey
The police apologize
The SPVM maintains that there was confusion around the address. ” Fortunately, nobody was hurt. We are sorry for the damages,” the Log spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.
The police force referred the couple to the Claims Office of the City of Montreal for the damages.
The complaint request from the owners of the duplex is “still under investigation”, we were told and the City cannot “comment on the file publicly”.
The consequences of the intervention are not only material.
Mr. Asselin has developed back and neck pain since being tackled to the ground. Mme Landry now has difficulty sleeping, jumps at the slightest noise and no longer feels safe at home.
“We felt violated. I’ve been waiting three months to see a psychologist, but I need to talk now. Both, we work in the public, and that has consequences on our work. They [les policiers] apologized for their mistake on the spot, but gave no support,” she explains.
They also filed a police ethics complaint and are now planning to sue the SPVM.