Video showing Montreal transit officers arresting a man by apparently restraining and choking him on the ground of a subway station has gone viral after a bystander shared it online.
Witnesses told CTV Montreal that the man attempted to use his girlfriend’s transit pass to get through the turnstiles at the Guy-Concordia metro station on Friday evening, before he was tackled by two Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) officers.
Video of the incident, which has been viewed on Facebook more than 70,000 times, shows the man lying on the ground and kicking as he struggles beneath the weight of the two officers trying to subdue him. A young woman, presumed to be his girlfriend, can be seen screaming and trying to help him as a third transit officer stands in her way.
At one point, the man can be heard telling the officers “You’re choking me” while the woman shouts “He can’t breathe!” at them.
Multiple witnesses called 911 because they said they were shocked by what they saw.
Montreal police responded to the scene and interviewed everyone at the scene, including the transit officers. The 33-year-old man suffered multiple injuries to his face, but he refused to be taken to hospital, police said.
As police escorted the man out of the subway station, they say he uttered threats to transit workers and was subsequently taken to the police station for questioning. Police said the STM is pressing charges against the man.
The STM wouldn’t comment on the case because the investigation is ongoing, but they did say the video of the altercation has been shown to the security team’s management. They also said that proper techniques and force are used by their security team based on the behaviour of the person they’re detaining.
With files from CTV Montreal
