'Constable 728' suspended for violent behaviour

CTV Montreal: Cop suspended for aggressive bust A shocking video of a police officer in an attempt to arrest a suspect has led to the suspension of a local police officer, Tania Krywiak reports.

A Montreal police officer was suspended Thursday afternoon for rude and violent behaviour.

Stefanie Trudeau gained notoriety in May when she was caught on video using pepper spray on a crowd of relatively peaceful protesters.

Now 'Constable 728' is once again the focus of an ethics investigation after arresting a man.

The incident in question took place on October 2 when a man holding a bottle of beer was holding a door open at the bottom of a staircase.

According to a report, Rudi Occhietti said he was waiting for a friend carrying audio equipment when Trudeau walked up to him and demanded his identification.

When he asked why, Occhietti says she attacked him, putting him in a chokehold before placing him in handcuffs.

The whole incident was caught on video which has been obtained by Radio-Canada.

According to Occhietti, Trudeau seized several telephones, one of which was recording audio, and contacted her supervisor from her squad car.

In that conversation the constable is heard using rude language, calling the people she arrested 'rats,' 'damned red squares' (a reference to the student movement), and 'eaters of s**t'.

Trudeau was placed on administrative duty while the Montreal police investigated, and on Thursday afternoon Chief Marc Parent announced Trudeau was being suspended, and would be subject to an ethics hearing.

Commander Ian Lafreniere said Trudeau's actions paint the force in a bad light.

"Some people are questioning the words that she's using, the fact that she's very rude," said Lafreniere.

"The fact is that as an officer no one can be proud of what she's doing."

Trudeau is also being investigated for an incident in May when she was assigned to watch student protesters.

Police and those opposed to university tuition hikes movement frequently confronted each other during the student movement in the spring, and during one incident Trudeau was seen using pepper spray on a crowd.

Lafreniere said that following that incident Trudeau was taken off crowd control duty.

Trudeau has been the subject of at least two previous complaints.

In one case she was suspended, and the second never came to a conclusion because the woman who filed the complaint left the country.