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
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Pro-Palestinian protests roiling U.S. colleges escalate with arrests, new encampments and closures
The student protests of Israel's war with Hamas that have been creating friction at U.S. universities escalated Tuesday as new encampments sprouted and some colleges encouraged students to stay home and learn online, after dozens of arrests across the country.
Tabloid publisher says he pledged to be Trump campaign's 'eyes and ears' during 2016 race
A veteran tabloid publisher testified Tuesday that he pledged to be Donald Trump 's 'eyes and ears' during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress stories that had the potential to harm the Republican's election bid.