Laval police officer suspended after Black man says he was ‘rammed’ off his motorcycle

Andrew Denis-Lynch speaks at a news conference on Thursday, July 24, 2025. (CTV News)

The Laval police service says it has suspended one of its officers who is now under investigation following the arrest of a motorcyclist last year.

Andrew Denis-Lynch, 34, of Chateauguay, alleges a police cruiser voluntarily rear-ended him during a traffic stop on Highway 440 at around 3 a.m. on Sept. 7 2024.

“They rammed me and I flew off the bike about 10 feet. It was a scary moment, hitting the ground, flying” says Denis-Lynch.

He says he was riding his BMW motorcycle but doesn’t recall if he was speeding. He says when he saw the patrol car, he slowed down and stopped at the first exit for his own safety. But despite being rear-ended, one officer immediately jumped on him after pulling out his gun.

“I was getting kicked, kneed, banged in the head,” an emotional Denis-Lynch said during a news conference on Thursday. “The way I was just being treated, they were just dragging me all over the place”.

He says his helmet protected him at first, but the officers cut off his backpack using a knife and went through his personal belongings.

Denis-Lynch was handcuffed, but was released without charges. He was given eight tickets, totalling $3,000 for offences, including speeding, failure to identify himself, sudden braking, not signalling a lane change, and not having proper lights on.

They are accusations he denies, and he says he is fighting all eight tickets in court. The officers, he said, ignored his injuries, and instead dropped him off at a local McDonald’s where a friend picked him up.

He went home, but says he was in too much pain following the crash and called an ambulance. He was treated for non life-threatening injuries.

Denis-lynch says he was first contacted by another officer in the days following the incident, but was then called by the Laval police’s internal affairs department. But he also reached out to the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) for guidance, which helped him to file formal complaints.

Executive Director Fo Niemi says he first advised Denis-Lynch to wait for the results of the internal investigation, but reached out to the media out of fear the case would drag on.

“The reason why we decided to act and go public, and also get the complaints to the police ethics commissioner and the human rights commission ready, is that the clock is ticking. There’s a one-year deadline to file a complaint with the police ethics commissioner,” says Niemi. He also denounced the Laval police’s failure to follow-up with Denis-Lynch after their initial call.

When contacted by CTV News, Laval police confirmed the incident and that one of the officers has been suspended.

“The Laval Police Department confirms that a criminal investigation started following the intervention that took place on September 7, 2024. Once the investigation was completed, the file was submitted to the DPCP and the officer in question is currently suspended from duty. A disciplinary investigation in this matter is still ongoing,” police said.

“We reiterate that integrity and respect are at the heart of our service’s values and guide our daily actions and our ongoing commitment to the Laval community.”

Denis-lynch says he now hopes there will be consequences for the officers involved.

“I don’t want this to happen to anybody. No vehicle should be hitting a motorcycle … that’s very dangerous."

Denis lynch says he’s lucky to be alive but adds the trauma hasn’t gone away.