Hunted by police for more than a month, a young man suspected of opening fire in an apartment building in Saint-Léonard celebrated his 19th birthday in the back of a cell. He was arrested earlier this week while hiding in a hotel in the north of the metropolis.
Ben Malick Ouattara had been hunted by police since January 22, when at least one shot was fired in a residential building in the Saint-Léonard district, but no injuries were reported.
When the police arrived, the shooter had already fled. However, while escaping the house where the event occurred, police were able to seize $5,000 worth of drugs.
The police were quickly able to identify Ouattara as the perpetrator of the shooting.
There was also an arrest warrant for the young man, who was finally found in a hotel north of Montreal on Monday evening, the day before his 19th birthday.
It was members of the tactical intervention group who carried out the arrest as Ouattara was suspected of being armed.
Two 18-year-old men who were with the suspect and allegedly helped him escape were also arrested during the operation.
Ben Malick Ouattara appeared in the Montreal courthouse on his birthday on gun and drug charges. He will remain in custody until the next phase of the trial.