Video shows driver strike infant in stroller at Montreal intersection; police investigating
A one-year-old child has survived a hit-and-run after a woman's stroller was struck by a vehicle while she was crossing the street in Montreal's Outremont borough last week, police say.
The incident was captured by a surveillance camera outside the home of a resident who lives near the site of the crash, at the intersection of Bloomfield and Lajoie avenues.
The video was posted online as community members are shocked by the incident and are hoping the driver is found by police.
The video shows the driver slowly approach the intersection, but instead of stopping at the stop sign, the vehicle continues driving, pushing the stroller into the street.
The person pushing the stroller does not appear to be struck by the vehicle.
The homeowner who recorded the video confirmed to CTV News it was recorded the afternoon of Nov. 16.
Paramedics and Montreal police said they received a 911 call around 2:40 p.m. and responded to the scene of the crash.
When the police officer arrived the woman and child had already been sent to hospital as a precaution. The infant was uninjured.
“Luckily, in the stroller, the baby was really well attached,” said police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.
The baby “did not fall from the stroller, so that avoided really major injuries.”
"Like all of you, I am in shock after watching this video," wrote Outremont Mayor Laurent Desbois in a tweet late Tuesday night.
"I am in communication with the SPVM and I hope that they will be able to quickly identify the driver of the vehicle."
Police said the suspect vehicle was black but did not have any other descriptions.
The police investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to contact police through the Info-Crime line: (514) 393-1133.
CONCERNS OVER MOTIVATION
Community members are waiting eagerly for more information from police as some fear the act may have been intentional.
Mayer Feig, a community activist and a director of Hatzoloh of Montreal, a Jewish first responders service, said he’s hoping the investigation uncovers more details.
“Either it was just a very distracted driver. Or it was a deliberate act,” he said. “We trust the police that they will do their investigation thoroughly and find the person.”
Feig says the woman and child are members of a large Hasidic Jewish community in Montreal’s Outremont Borough.
“They look very Jewish, they dress differently than others,” said Marvin Rotrand, National Human Rights Director for B’nai Brith, a Jewish advocacy group which has opened its own investigation into the incident on concerns that the event was hate-related.
“This is something we will monitor as a possible anti-Semitic incident,” he said.
Police are not ruling out the possibility that hate was a contributing factor, but they say it’s too early to conclude anything. Quebec’s Council of Hasidic Jews wrote a public statement Wednesday urging community members to maintain “the utmost caution in any premature evaluation of this unfortunate event.”
“At this time in the investigation, we don’t have much information,” said Brabant. “We met with some witnesses, we have some footage from different surveillance cameras.”
Quebec’s Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel called the incident a “horrible situation.”
“There is an inquiry right now,” he said on Wednesday. “We’ll see what happened, why this happened, and after that, we will get some additional answers.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.