An 80-year-old Cote-des-Neiges man is trying to fight the system after a jaywalking incident in May left him facing three charges, including assaulting a police officer.
Aurelio Scocco was slapped with a jaywalking ticket this spring after he crossed the street on a blinking light at the corner of Queen Mary and Decarie.
He was treated roughly by police, according to Scocco.
"He took me but he didn't try to help. He took me by force," said the elderly man whose health is failing.
The police are telling a different story. They say he was agitated and unreasonable.
"He wasn't paying attention to what the police officer was saying. He just struck the police officer, and grabbed him by the throat, so the police officer had to put him under control," said Montreal police Cmdr. Simonetta Barthe.
Without money to pay for lawyers, Scocco said he's nervous to take on the police, but is insisting on having the charges dropped.
Scocco has faced a series of challenges, including having the ticket sent to the wrong address, and appearing in court on a specific date following a police request, and discovering upon arrival that he wasn't on the list to appear before the judge.
Frustrated friends say they fear the problem will get worse before it is resolved.
"I didn't know who to phone. Nobody had given me any information," said friend Jodi Portugal. "My fear was him being slapped with another $700 ticket, which he cannot afford."
Scocco returns to court on Dec. 2.
