The young man who was allegedly stabbed by the mafioso Nicola Spagnolo in August 2020, in Old Montreal, “was in crisis, wriggled a lot, cried out in pain and displayed a laceration through which his intestines came out”.
Posted at 1:41 p.m.
So said one of the first police officers to arrive on the scene, on Day 3 of Spagnolo’s judge-alone trial, charged with aggravated assault. The latter allegedly stabbed a young man – whose identity we must conceal – at the exit of a bar, following an argument, on the night of August 1 to 2, 2020.
Police officer Alexis Nadeau, who then had not yet two years of experience at the SPVM, was patrolling PDQ 21 on the night of August 1 to 2 when he received a call at 2:18 a.m. for a stabbed man. at the corner of Saint-François-Xavier and Notre-Dame streets, in Old Montreal.
When he arrived at the scene a few minutes later, Constable Nadeau set up banners to establish a security perimeter. One of his colleagues was already leaning over the victim and maintaining pressure on his wound.
“The victim was shirtless. The young man was in crisis, he wriggled a lot of arms and legs. He was screaming and complaining of pain,” Officer Nadeau testified.
“There was a lot of blood coming out of his wound. I could see that his intestines had come out a little from his laceration, ”continued the policeman.
At 2:34 a.m., Urgences Santé paramedics had already put the victim on board their ambulance. Police officer Nadeau boarded it to accompany the victim. He asked the young man questions, in an attempt to get a description of the suspect, but he was uncooperative.
“He kept screaming and fidgeting. He had twists of pain and was in a state of crisis. All I noticed was that he said to me, “He was a rich old man” and “I can’t believe he stabbed“, reported the policeman.
The victim arrived at the Montreal General Hospital at 2:40 a.m., six minutes after boarding the ambulance.
“When he arrived at the hospital, he was immediately taken care of by the staff and taken to the shock room. At 3:17 a.m., the doctor told us that the operation had gone well and that there was no longer any danger to his life,” concluded Officer Nadeau.
The victim testified by videoconference on Tuesday and Wednesday. She is currently in Asia, 12 hours apart, and on Wednesday, her cross-examination ended at 3:30 p.m. Quebec time, so 3:30 a.m. for her.
The trial is presided over by Judge Yves Paradis of the Court of Quebec. The prosecution is carried out by Mr.and Matthew Ferguson while Mr.and Danièle Roy defends Nicola Spagnolo.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of La Presse.