A Montreal police officer who gained notoriety after video emerged of her using pepper spray on protesters has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after she was arrested on an unrelated matter.
Const. Stefanie Trudeau -- known in the Francophone community as ‘Matricule 728’ for her badge number -- was arrested Monday night after another police officer accused her of uttering threats.
Trudeau was not charged with any criminal acts, but after appearing in court Tuesday, she signed an order to keep the peace and agreed to undergo a 15-day psychiatric evaluation at a Sherbrooke, Que. hospital.
Trudeau must also abide by other conditions, including not attending any Montreal police offices without her lawyer present.
At the time of her arrest, Trudeau was already on suspension from duty.
Her lawyer, Jean-Pierre Rancourt, told reporters Tuesday that Trudeau sought help at a hospital Monday night just before her arrest, but was released.
In May 2012, Trudeau was recorded on video while using pepper spray on a crowd of student protesters and passersby who appeared to pose no threat.
And in October, she was filmed arresting a man who was drinking at the bottom of a staircase while holding open a door into the stairwell. One of the man's friends complains that the arrest is unnecessary and is quickly put in a headlock, dragged down the stairs, put in a choke hold and handcuffed.
In that incident, Trudeau seized cellphones from the group. One of the phones was recording, however, while Trudeau took it back to her cruiser and called her supervisor, using derogatory terms such as "rats" and "guitar strummers" in reference to the men.
In November 2012, Montreal Police Chief Marc Parent apologized for Trudeau's behaviour.
In a separate incident, a McGill lecturer has claimed Trudeau tried to intimidate him against testifying against her.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Tania Krywiak
