Charges could soon be filed against this driver who tried to force his way onto a closed street, pushing a flagman with his car, last week. The Montreal police announced on Wednesday that they had handed over their information to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP).
The South Criminal Investigation Section of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) confirms that it has “transmitted a file to the DPCP” concerning “the motorist who pushed a flagman with his vehicle, last week, in the ‘South-West district’.
This means that a formal complaint has therefore been transmitted. The police force specifies, however, that the Director of Prosecutions “will analyze it in order to determine whether he will lay charges and, if so, which ones”. According to our information, charges of armed assault, or even dangerous driving, could be in question.
“The safety of flaggers is important and this type of behavior towards them cannot be tolerated. If you witness a similar situation, immediately contact 911,” insists the SPVM.
It was at the corner of Atwater Avenue and Saint-Antoine Street, where work has been underway since the fall, that the event in question took place at the end of the day last Wednesday, shortly before 6 p.m. h. In a video first broadcast on the social network TikTok, we can see a motorist in his vehicle continuing to move forward, while the flagman blocks his access.
The attack lasts several seconds. At one point, the motorist stops and seems to be shouting at the road flagger. It was then that another construction worker approached the driver and asked him to leave the scene. “Turn around and walk away,” he yells at her, visibly irritated.
After other verbal battles, the driver ends up backing up and leaving the scene, under the amazed gaze of the one who had filmed the scene. The Internet user, who says he noted the motorist’s plate, also indicated on TikTok that he transmitted the video to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
A police investigation had then been opened and witnesses were met by the investigators, shortly after the broadcast of the video. The signalman was met by the police and the driver was located. The spokesperson for the DPCP, Me Audrey Roy-Cloutier, confirmed on Wednesday that the SPVM file has been received, but that it is currently “under analysis”.
Jean-François Dionne, the president of the Association of workers in road signs of Quebec (ATSRQ), had deplored in the process that “the tickets are not high enough” near a construction site. “It’s about $300 plus expenses, and four demerit points. What we’re offering is six demerit points and $900 plus costs. Let’s say that would calm a lot of people down,” he said.
