MONTREAL -- The City of Laval is facing a lawsuit from a 24-year-old Black man whose violent arrest was caught on video in May.
Laval police are seen in the video dragging the man out of a car by his dreadlocks.
Samuel (who did not want his last name used) was with his brother and friend when they were stopped by Laval police officers.
He said police wouldn't tell him why they wanted him to get out of the vehicle and, in the end, he said he wasn't given a choice.
“The way they made me eat the floor, it was a shame for me you know,” he said.
The three men in the vehicle were given $1,500 fines for failing to physically distance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Samuel said he has been speaking out for months since his altercation with the cops, as he feels they were targeted for what's become known as "Driving While Black."
Former RCMP officer Alain Babineau agrees with Samuel's assessment of the situation.
“This is a case of racial profiling at the highest degree," he said. "You’ve got three young black males in the vehicle at night. This is a matter of profiling, racially profiling individuals who believe may be up to no good.”
Samuel is seeking $250,000 in damages from the City of Laval in an attempt to stop racial profiling by police.
“I’m not a bad guy because I have long dreads," he said. "Trying to make me look like a criminal or something, trying to make me eat the floor like I was a criminal, in front of everybody. In front of the neighbourhood, in front of all the people that I know. Because I’m really somebody that is involved in the community.”
Laval has acknowledged that there is an issue with racial profiling in the city, and has committed to putting an end to the problem.
Laval police did not respond to a request for an interview.
