When Brice Doussa left a Montreal McDonald’s final week and tried to get into his car, he did not anticipate to finish up in handcuffs.
And he actually did not anticipate that, regardless of confirming his innocence, officers would not uncuff him straight away — as a result of they did not have the important thing.
“I really feel traumatized. Humiliated. My human rights [have] been violated. And proper now, I do not really feel protected round police officers anymore,” Doussa advised CTV Montreal on Saturday.
On Thursday, plainclothes Montreal police officers detained Doussa, a Black man, who they suspected of stealing his own automobile.
But when the time got here, the officers did not have the important thing to uncuff him.
“I requested them, ‘so, it is my car. Why am I nonetheless being handcuffed? Is it as a result of I’m a Black man?'” Doussa recounted.
The key was finally delivered and Doussa was launched with out fees.
A video of a handcuffed Doussa circulated broadly on social media, prompting outrage from activists, elected officers and the Montreal neighborhood.
A nonetheless picture of a video exhibiting a plainclothes Montreal police officer with a man in handcuffs throughout an investigation right into a stolen automobile. (Source: Instagram)
The video doesn’t present the circumstances main as much as the detainment. But in line with Doussa, he was caught fully off guard, alleging police gave him little to no data on what was occurring.
“I noticed a gentleman come from behind, pulling my proper hand on the again. [I said], ‘What’s occurring right here?'” he recounted.
“The police didn’t introduce themselves, and say ‘I’m police, I’m right here for this and that. Give me the papers of the automobile.’ They did not ask something. They simply harassed me, aggressively, handcuffed me, with out even telling me what is occurring.”
A Tweet from the Montreal police service (SPVM) claims the automobile lock confirmed “typical and apparent tried theft marks,” prompting officers to research.
“Before they may end their checks, a citizen walked as much as it to take possession of it,” one other Tweet reads.
“It was right now that he was quickly detained for investigation by the 2 police officers. The citizen was launched unconditionally and with out cost as soon as the checks had been accomplished.”
The SPVM is now conducting a probe into the circumstances surrounding the occasion.
Quebec’s public security minister, François Bonnardel, can also be trying into the incident, his workplace mentioned in an announcement over the weekend.
Doussa says the expertise left him with deep scars and he hopes to see penalties for the folks concerned.
“This can’t be [swept] below the carpet.”
With recordsdata from CTV News’ Joe Lofaro and Luca Caruso-Moro.