Robbery suspect opens fire during altercation with security guard at downtown Montreal store

Montreal police say a shoplifting suspect fired a shot during a clash with a security guard outside Simons, but no one was hurt.

Montreal police say no one was injured after a man suspected of stealing clothing at a store in downtown Montreal allegedly opened fire during an altercation with a guard.

Police say they received a 911 call at around 11:45 a.m. about a shooting outside the store near the corner of Ste-Catherine and Metcalfe streets, one of the busiest intersections in the downtown core.

There was a conflict between an employee of the Simons store and the person suspected of trying to steal the merchandise. The suspect then fired at least one gunshot and then fled the scene, according to police.

Jacob Featherstone was just leaving the store when he saw the altercation outside. He told CTV News that the security guard appeared to push a young person against a wall accusing him of stealing when all of a sudden he heard “a loud bang.”

“When I heard the bang I was shocked. I know what that sounds like. I’ve gone to shooting ranges,” Featherstone said.

“I immediately start to turn away but I see the kid running in my direction, so I want to see what he’s doing and that’s when I could clearly see that he had a gun.”

He suspects that the young individual pulled out the gun to scare the security guard away. “That’s what it looked like,” he said.

Police said a gun shell casing was found at the scene when officers arrived.

The suspect is still at large as police continue to investigate.

With files from CTV News’ Matt Gilmour