Montreal police suspend anti-gang squad commander

Thieves broke into Commander Patrice Vilceus's vehicle on Dec. 17, 2015

Montreal police say they have suspended the commander of their anti-gang squad.

Just before 9 a.m. Monday, Montreal police tweeted a message from Chief Philippe Pichet said that after receiving information from the Surete du Quebec, they were suspending Commander Patrice Vilceus, who led anti-gang unit Eclipse Squad.

About 20 minutes later, the tweet had been removed and another tweet was sent out on the SPVM's Twitter feed that was identical to the first announcement, except the commander's name had been removed.

Pichet said the suspension is immediate and for an indefinite period of time, pending further investigation.

Vilceus’s car was broken into in December 2015 while he attended a police Christmas party.

The thief stole a bag containing a USB key that held contact information for police informants linked to Hells Angels.