Three of 41 people charged following the post-Habs-game looting Wednesday night will remain behind bars pending their trials.
All three – Patrice Leveille, Martin Daoust-Vilard and Luis Yonathan Caisse – were denied bail Friday, because they are all currently facing other legal issues.
Leveille is accused of attacking a police officer with a beer bottle. He was under a court order to abstain from alcohol.
The risks are too high he'll reoffend before the playoffs end, the prosecution told the court.
Daoust-Vilard, who appeared in court in a Habs shirt, is charged with assaulting someone with either a baseball bat or a Habs flag on Drummond St. He and friend Martin Breton were picked up by riot police.
"I said, ‘Why do you arrest me?' After they took off the handcuffs, they said, ‘No it's the other one,'" said Breton.
Daoust-Vilard was denied bail due to an unrelated pending drug charge.
Caisse, from Notre Dame de Grace, was arrested for throwing rocks and bottles at police with a friend who was found in possession of stolen shoes. He was denied bail in part due to a pending assault case. His lawyer claims it was mistaken identity.
"(Police) identified someone with a specific physical description which doesn't correspond to my client," said defence lawyer Fabienne Ranely.
Prosecutor Veronique Michaud said this should serve as a warning to other would-be looters as the Habs advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
"We dont want any other situations during the rest of the playoffs. We want festivities in peace," she said.
Montreal police have launched a public appeal urging citizens to turn in whatever pictures or videos they have of suspects looting downtown stores.
Anyone with photos should email series.2010@spvm.qc.ca
