Montreal police say they have arrested 12 people, including nine minors, in relation to unrelated cases of alleged gang activity and bullying at two high schools in the boroughs of Anjou and Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
Police said in a news release issued Friday that officers arrested four suspects between the ages of 15 and 20 Thursday evening and seized a firearm, ammunition, "burglary tools" and other items. The group was linked to "a series of events that occurred near a secondary school in Anjou, in the area of the Place de Malicorne as well as in the Lucie-Bruneau, Goncourt and Roseraies parks," according to police, who did not provide further details.
Two of the four suspects remain in custody, while the other two were released and are due back in court to face unspecified charges.
In a second police operation Thursday morning, officers arrested eight minors in a high school in Ahuntsic-Cartierville in relation to extortion, harassment, and intimidation of a student. Police say the community officer offered support to the victim but did not say how the student was victimized.
The arrests come after a similar incident in Quebec City where police in that city arrested seven teenagers between 14 and 19 in a case of severe bullying of young victims. Quebec City police said one of the victims, a girl, was threatened with serious injury and intimidated on a daily basis. She reported the suspects appeared to be armed with knives.
In its release, the Montreal police said "schools must remain safe places conducive to the development of young people. Victims and schools can always count on the cooperation of their police service."
Anyone with information related to threats and violence is asked to call 911 or file an anonymous report by calling Info-Crime at 514-393-1133 or reaching out online.
