A citizen was able to film the driver of a Sûreté du Québec van Wednesday morning as he drove through the stop at the corner of De Rouen and Parthenais Streets, where young Mariia Fleckenkovska, 7, was caught by a motorist as she was walking to fifth-grade school few months.
Posted at 3:52pm. Updated at 4:50 p.m.
The images released on social media show the driver of Sûreté du Québec vehicle No. 6T01 slowly driving west on Rue De Rouen before turning left without immobilizing his vehicle.
Mélina Dorleans, who lives at this intersection, filmed the scene after her daughter left home on Wednesday to go to the Jean Baptiste Meilleur primary school, which young Mariia attended.
“Drivers who don’t stop at this intersection are the majority,” she says. They turn and brake at the last second when a pedestrian passes by, often children on their way to school. It’s very dangerous. »
To see a driver of a vehicle from the Sûreté du Québec, whose headquarters are near Rue Parthenais, engage in this practice is shocking, she said.
“The SQ is a corporate citizen of the neighborhood, we want the police to set an example, especially when they are on duty. »
After the death of young Mariia Fleckenkovska in December after she was struck by a motorist who was also making a left turn, Montreal police automatically issued criminal charges against motorists who failed to park their vehicles there.
The Sûreté du Québec urged La Presse to be aware of the existence of the video.
“The manager of the position in question will be notified at this moment, checks will be carried out. The goal is to identify the person who was driving at the time,” said Sergeant Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, spokeswoman for the SQ.
Based on the analysis of the situation, “appropriate measures” are taken.
“Could a criminal complaint be issued? It’s not impossible, but it would be up to the SPVM to grant it,” she adds.
Montreal Police said on Twitter they had forwarded the information to the sector’s neighborhood watch, PDQ 22.
According to our information, at least one citizen filed an ethics complaint with the police on Wednesday regarding the incident.
Earlier this month, a citizen filmed 44 violations within an hour of motorists illegally making left turns at this intersection during the afternoon rush hour.
The Ville-Marie district has committed to installing more than a hundred speed bumps this summer to encourage motorists to stay within the speed limit.
The Sûreté du Québec earlier this month launched a controversial national awareness campaign that placed the responsibility for safety solely on pedestrians and cyclists and obscured any liability for motorists in collisions, a move advocated by several organizations.