A man was arrested this weekend in Montreal after passersby at a popular downtown park stopped him from allegedly kidnapping a seven-year-old girl. Police say community members stopped and “controlled” the suspect until officers arrived on the scene.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon at Jeanne-Mance Park, located in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough.
Const. Andre Leclerc, a media relations officer with the Montreal police, said police received several calls Saturday afternoon after a man allegedly grabbed a little girl and started to run away. However, the girl's family members and other people in the park managed to stop him, and detained him until police arrived.
"This gave us a lot of help because we managed to arrest this man quickly," Leclerc told CTV Montreal. "The community worked together, and quickly we were able to stop this crime in progress… the reaction of the family and the community did give us a big boost."
One witness told The Canadian Press that ex-NHLer Georges Laraque, who happened to be playing a baseball game in the park, was one of the people who helped detain the suspect.
The 24-year-old suspect has been questioned by investigators, and will remain in custody until he faces a judge, Leclerc said, noting that he is not known to police.
Jonathan Gamez-Arias, 24, is due to have a psychiatric assessment on Monday. He is due back in court on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
Pina Arcamone, director of the Missing Children's Network, says parents should teach their children to keep a safe distance, and be very loud and vocal if a stranger ever approaches them.
"We need to make sure that children understand that they need to do anything they can to draw attention: you kick, you bite, you scream," she told CTV Montreal.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Max Harrold
