Seven young people, aged between 14 and 17, suspected of belonging to a gang in the Saint-Léonard borough which could be linked to several violent crimes, were arrested by police officers from the City of Montreal Police Department last week, announced the SPVM in a press release.
Posted at 2:52 p.m.
“The suspects are said to have illegally occupied a vacant commercial premises on rue Jean-Talon Est and used it as a hiding place.
Despite their young age, they would be linked to a group from Saint-Léonard involved in numerous violent crimes. Its members would be responsible in particular for robberies, firearms discharges, arson and extortion,” indicates the SPVM in its press release.
According to the evidence accumulated by members of the SPVM’s East project investigation group, the young people broke into a premises on rue Jean-Talon around mid-June.
Subsequently, they would have used the place as a place to escape or hide, after the commission of certain crimes.
But the presence of the group in the premises ended up attracting the attention of investigators and patrol officers from neighborhood station 42, and the suspects were quickly identified.
Seven were arrested on October 3. Four of them were already incarcerated for other cases. They will later appear in Youth Court to be charged with mischief and break and enter.
Two members of the group, aged 16 and 20, have not been arrested and are the subject of arrest warrants.
Child soldiers
Several violent events that have occurred in recent months in the Montreal region and elsewhere involve minors.
Let us recall in particular the case of the 14-year-old teenager who died when he and another young person of the same age allegedly attacked the premises of the Red Riders and the Hells Angels in Frampton, in Beauce, on September 17.
Last night, SPVM police officers arrested three young people after shots were fired at the facade of lawyer Émile Benamor in Montreal. One of them is 17 years old.
To contact Daniel Renaud, dial 514-285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.
