A violent attack on the subway on Monday will be the subject of a police investigation. The incident, which has gone viral online, is “horrific,” Valérie Plante told the city council on Tuesday, while reassuring the safety of Montrealers.
Posted 10:44am Updated 11:04am
The mayor notably reiterated that her administration and new police chief Fady Dagher are “working very hard” to combat insecurity. “We act, we act,” she said. “We have a global vision, we don’t work in silos. »
Ms Plante was questioned by opposition leader Aref Salem about a video posted to social media on Monday. It shows a person in a green line subway car brutally attacking another with their fists. The scene happened not far from Beaudry station around 2:40 p.m. in the afternoon, Montreal Police spokesman Agent Jean-Pierre Brabant said on Tuesday.
In the video posted online, we see a person speak a few words to their victim before hitting him on the head and hitting him several times. “What do you do!” then the distressed man hurls to the other passengers. The attacker eventually walks away, leaving his victim on the ground. She also appears to have injured her ankle during the altercation.
The victim is a 45-year-old man. “During the altercation, the victim suffered assaults and injuries, including an ankle injury. There’s a report sent to investigators. We have asked to remove the surveillance cameras from the subway and be able to identify the suspect. To date there has been no arrest, but we are looking for a man in his 20s,” Mr Brabant said.
“Today I’m scared”
“As a Montrealer, I’m scared today,” Mr. Salem said in response to those images. “For people who use public transport, for my daughter who starts taking the bus, I’m scared. […] There are subway stations that look like shooting galleries. »
“We will wish this citizen who was attacked a speedy recovery and obviously it is terrible,” Mayor Plante responded. In no way do we want that in the subway system or on our streets. »
“The images are bloodthirsty. I have tremendous sympathy for the man who was attacked in such a vile manner. I hope he will recover quickly, without trauma, Aref Salem continued. I cannot imagine that this could happen to any of my daughters or any member of my family. »
At the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), spokesman Philippe Déry confirmed Tuesday that the paracommunal organization’s special police “were called to intervene with the injured person after the altercation ended.” “We facilitated the care of the victim who could be transported to the hospital,” he said, assuring that the STM would cooperate with the police investigation.