MONTREAL -- A 21-year-old man made a brief court appearance Friday morning to face an attempted murder charge on a Montreal police officer.
Ali Ngarukiye was arrested Thursday in Toronto after police say DNA evidence allegedly linked him to the Jan. 28 attack on Const. Sanjay Vig. The accused is also charged with attempted murder, intentionally discharging a prohibited firearm, disarming a peace officer, aggravated assault on a peace officer and theft of a vehicle.
Ngarukiye was remanded into custody while he waits for a bail hearing that was scheduled for April 1.
His lawyer, Elfriede Duclervil, said she is still waiting to see the evidence in the case that led to her client’s arrest.
Speaking to reporters Friday at the Montreal courthouse, Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthilier told reporters he believed the investigation was “very well done” and the prosecution is "confident that we will be able to prove the defendant’s guilt."
However, the case has sparked widespread condemnation and an apology from the police chief after Montreal police initially arrested the wrong guy after the attack.
Mamadi Camara, 31, spent six days in jail and questioning from police after he was pulled over the night of the incident. Police said the officer was attacked from behind during the interaction before he was beaten and disarmed. The assailant chased him for some distance and fired in his direction.
The police service dropped all charges against Camara after new information came to light to clear his name.
Police now allege the assailant was Ngarukiye and say DNA evidence links him to the crime. Police have yet to recover the weapon.
The accused is known to police in Ontario and has prior charges for fraud, police announced at a press conference Thursday. He is also accused of stealing two cars in the days leading up to the Jan. 28 incident.
Meanwhile, Camara is considering taking legal action against Montreal police for the wrongful arrest. Camara's lawyer, Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, said on Friday that she would not comment on the current case.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said her team is in talks with Camara's team and is hoping for a smooth process.
"Our goal, and I’ve said it since day one, is I want this to go well, and of course I’m not going to go into deeper details because there are rules and there’s, you know, steps that need to be done," she said. "But, definitely, I want this to go as smooth and easy as possible so Mr. Camara move on with his life.”
-- With files from CTV Montreal's Matthew Gilmour
