MONTREAL -- The BEI (Le Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes) confirmed Wednesday evening that it was opening of an investigation in Montreal following an intervention by the Montreal Police (SPVM) in which a man was injured.
According to an evening news release from the EIB, a 40-year-old man suffered serious injuries during a police intervention in the late afternoon on Jan. 1.
According to the version of the facts provided by the SPVM, an emergency services call was received around 3:15 p.m. for "a man in crisis, armed with knives, who was on a balcony."
The intervention took place on Saint-Michel Blvd., near the intersection of Laurier Ave., in the Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie borough.
Police allegedly erected a security perimeter at the scene and communicated with the individual in crisis.
At the request of the police, the man allegedly agreed to put down his knives, but around 5:30 p.m. he picked up one of the sharp objects to injure his neck.
The paramedics quickly transported the injured man to the hospital and he is in critical condition.
The BEI's mandate is to investigate all police interventions in which a person dies or suffers serious injuries. A team of eight investigators has been dispatched to the scene of the intervention and will have to check whether the version reported by the SPVM is faithful to the events.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2020.
