A violent assault that occurred on Monday in the metro will be the subject of a police investigation. The incident, which has gone viral online, is “terrible,” Valérie Plante told city council on Tuesday, while reassuring for the safety of Montrealers.
The mayoress notably affirmed that her administration and the new police chief Fady Dagher “are working very hard” to fight against insecurity. “We do things, we do things,” she said. “We have a global vision, we don’t work in silos. »
Ms Plante was being questioned by opposition leader Aref Salem regarding a video posted on social media on Monday. It shows an individual brutally attacking another with his fists in a green line metro car. The scene occurred in the afternoon near Beaudry station, around 2:40 p.m., said Montreal police spokesman Jean-Pierre Brabant on Tuesday.
In the video posted online, we see an individual slip a few words to his victim, before hitting him in the head and punching him several times. “Do what! “, then launches the man in distress to the other passengers. The aggressor ends up walking away, leaving his victim on the ground. She also seems to have injured her ankle during the alteraction.
The victim is a 45-year-old man. “During the altercaction, the victim suffered assault and injuries, including an ankle injury. There is a report that was sent to the investigators. We made the request to remove the surveillance cameras from the metro and be able to identify the suspect. To date, there are no arrests, but we are looking for a man in his twenties,” said Mr. Brabant.
“Me, as a Montrealer, today, I’m scared,” Salem said in response to the footage. “For people taking public transit, for my daughter starting to take the bus, I’m scared. […] There are metro stations that look like shooting galleries. »
“We will wish a good recovery to this citizen who was attacked and obviously it is terrible, reacted Mayor Plante. This is not what we want in any way in the metro system or on our streets. »
“The images are blood-curdling. I have enormous empathy for the man who was attacked in such a despicable way. I hope he will recover quickly, without trauma, continued Aref Salem. I can’t imagine this could happen to any of my daughters or any member of my family. »
At the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), spokesperson Philippe Déry confirmed on Tuesday that the special constables of the paramunicipal organization “were called to intervene with the injured person when the altercation was over”. “We facilitated the care of the victim who was able to be transported to the hospital”, he mentioned, assuring that the STM will collaborate in the police investigation.