Man accuses Montreal police of racial profiling during traffic stop

A 23-year-old man is accusing Montreal police of racial profiling and aggressive use of force after a traffic stop just over a week ago.

Jeff Guervil, who is Black, says police pulled him over while on his way to football practice. He ended up handcuffed and his car was impounded but he's still not sure why.

"I feel humiliated because it's not me. I'm not that type of person," he told reporters Tuesday.

He was driving to football practice in Montreal North on Aug. 12 when an officer pulled him over.

"For no reason. I wasn't speeding. I passed through the green light, so I was good," he said.

When asked to hand over his driver's licence, Guervil handed over a letter from the SAAQ explaining that system issues meant the automobile insurance board couldn't update the status of his license, but he was authorized to drive.

Half an hour later, Guervil says the officer told him he believed the letter was fake. He says more officers arrived and that they threw him against the car.

"And he gave me some handcuffs that were so tight to my hand, I wasn't feeling my hands," he said.

While Guervil was in the back of the police cruiser his mother arrived and filmed the scene for an hour.

Police accused Guervil of obstruction and gave him a ticket for more than $1,000. The ticket references demerit points that affected his licence.

They also issued his mother a $50 ticket for not being on the sidewalk and the car was impounded.

"The worst thing …. is to this day, he still didn't know why he was dragged out of the car violently by several officers and then handcuffed and then eventually charged," said Fo Niemi, executive director of Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), a Montreal-based civil rights group.

"He's a good person, he's quiet with good family values," said Sheila Dragon, Guervil's mother.

She worries a criminal charge will affect his dream to one day play professional football.

Car shouldn't have been seized: SAAQ

Meanwhile, a few days later, the SAAQ provided another letter for the pound, stating the car shouldn't have been seized and waiving all fees to collect it.

But Guervil still has to appear in court in November.

A letter from the SAAQ informing Jeff Guervil that his vehicle should not have been seized by Montreal police. (CTV News)

"At the same time, we're going to start filing complaints with the police ethics commissioner and the Quebec Human Rights Commission," Niemi said.

CTV News reached out to Montreal police, which said it does not comment on individual police operations.

"I don't want this situation to happen in the future to other people in Montreal North," Guervil said, "because it's something that happens often and we want it to stop."