A traffic controller escaped the worst after being pushed onto the highway and attacked by a driver who had knives with him, yesterday afternoon during an interception near Mirabel.
While patrolling Highway 15, the officer first chased a commercial vehicle, which had not respected an established safety corridor. The driver passed by him, honking insistently. He also allegedly gave the finger and gestured with his arms, we learned.
Once immobilized, the 31-year-old man refused to identify himself. “He was talking about our skills. He didn’t think he could be intercepted. Most people are unaware of the extent of the powers of road traffic controllers, which are very broad,” lamented Jean-Claude Daignault, president of the Brotherhood of Highway Control Constables of Quebec.
The traffic controller then told him that he was under arrest, but the man instead tried to leave the scene. At the same time, his colleague in another vehicle arrived to help him.
- Listen to the interview with Jean-Claude Daignault, President of the Brotherhood of Highway Patrol Constables of Quebec on QUB:
Push in a lane
The driver was pepper-sprayed because he continued to resist arrest. Then, he pushed the agent, who found herself in a lane of traffic on the A-15.
“She really could have been hit, but fortunately that did not happen because the other motorists had stopped at the sight of the flashing lights,” explained Mr. Daignault.
While the controllers tried to handcuff him, the still agitated man then allegedly kicked the officer in the knee, which dislocated. They were finally able to arrest him.
Police officers from the Sûreté du Québec arrived on the scene to assist the officers in their intervention. According to the Brotherhood, he even spat on a police officer.
This is Gabriel Langevin, a resident of Sainte-Sophie, according to our information.
The officer had to be transported to hospital for her injuries. She was discharged a few hours later.
For his part, Langevin should face charges of assault on a peace officer as well as non-compliance with his conditions. He was released with a promise to appear in court.
Knife on the dashboard
Two knives were found in his vehicle, one was on his dashboard and the other was between the two seats, according to the Brotherhood.
A knife found between the two seats of a commercial vehicle.
COURTESY PHOTO
Last year, Langevin was acquitted of assault with a weapon and pointing a firearm after signing a peace bond.
Remember that the union representing road traffic controllers demands that its peace officers carry a service weapon.
“During interceptions, you never know what you’re going to come across. This is the second traffic controller injured on duty in a month. “Events are getting closer and closer,” worried President Jean-Claude Daignault.
“My biggest fear is that a member loses his life because he is not equipped to defend himself,” he added.