MONTREAL -- Montreal police have a suspect in custody in relation to the attempted murder of a police officer in January that initially let to the wrongful arrest of a Montreal man.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, police announced Ali Ngarukiye, 21, was arrested in Toronto. He faces several charges, including attempted murder, intentionally discharging a prohibited firearm, disarming a peace officer, aggravated assault on a peace officer and theft of a vehicle.
He will appear in a Montreal courtrooom Friday.
Mamadi Camara was wrongfully arrested the night of Jan. 28 after being pulled over by officer Sanjay Vig. After spending six days in jail, he was released with all charges stayed.
The controversial arrest sent shockwaves through the community, with many wondering how Camara ended up in custody in the first place.
Montreal police Insp. David Shane had a special message for Camara in his address to the media Thursday.
"We hope that the arrest of the real suspect in this case, will allow him to close the chapter on this event, which had important consequences for him as well," he said.
According to Shane, the suspect's DNA at the crime scene was key in identifying the suspect who had eluded police for nearly two months. He was less willing to share more details about the evidence in the case that led to the arrest.
The accused is known to police in Ontario and has prior charges for fraud, Shane said. A missing piece in the investigation is the whereabouts of the weapon used in the assault, though Shane said search warrants were being carried out Thursday afternoon.
