A man was apprehended, and three officers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a police incident in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough on Thursday morning, close to the Berri-UQAM Metro station and the neighboring university.
Montreal police officers on patrol observed a 34-year-old man wielding a knife on Ste-Catherine Street, between Berri and St-Denis streets, around 7:45 a.m. Initially, the suspect’s age was mistakenly reported as 25.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, officers utilized rubber bullets and a stun gun, but the suspect remained combative, as per Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. Additional officers tried to enclose the suspect with their vehicles, resulting in a collision between the police cars.
Brabant explained that the maneuver was aimed at cornering and controlling the suspect without causing harm. The incident occurred near the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
During the event, an officer discharged his firearm in the suspect’s direction, but the suspect was unharmed. Subsequently, the officers used a stun gun to subdue and apprehend the suspect, who was then taken to the hospital with minor injuries for questioning. Three officers involved in the collision were also transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
A witness, Simon Côté-Lapointe, captured a video of the scene showing numerous officers surrounding the suspect, who was walking in front of a building wearing a black coat. The video depicted officers brandishing stun guns and shouting orders, with a gunshot heard at one point. The suspect eventually fell to the ground, and more officers approached the scene.
Côté-Lapointe mentioned filming the incident out of fear of a situation similar to what occurred in Minneapolis the day before. He expressed concern about the intensity of the incident and deemed the police response excessive.
Brabant defended the police actions, stating that the incident was treated as a high-priority call due to the potential danger posed by the individual with a knife near the university area. The police were cautious as they were unsure of the suspect’s intentions and emphasized the need for precaution in such cases. The suspect’s history of mental health issues remains unconfirmed by the police.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, sections of Ste-Catherine Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard between Berri and Sanguinet streets are currently closed.