STM finest

An English-speaking man who looks much younger than his age, Mr. V., then in his 50s, was on his way home from work when the incident occurred. He arrived at Lionel Groulx metro station close to midnight and was hurrying to catch his bus when he heard a voice mumble something in French. Mr. V., whose French is limited, did not realize that he had been addressed by an inspector of the Montreal Transit Authority (MTA), so he kept walking. He was then grabbed by the inspector and, within seconds, six other inspectors arrived and pushed him violently to a corner in the station. Although he displayed no resistance, the inspectors violently arrested Mr. V., handcuffed him, and dragged him into a closed room without informing him of the reason for his arrest.

The inspectors searched him and his bag. Despite finding his proof of payment, the inspectors continued questioning Mr. V. Afterwards, they slipped a $324 ticket (for obstructing an inspector’s work) into his coat pocket and led him into a public area where they uncuffed him. In a state of shock, Mr. V. asked the inspectors for an explanation; they grabbed him by the collar and forced him up the escalator towards the exit, threatening to give him another ticket if he did not leave. When he tried to ask again for an explanation, they threw him out of the station. It took Mr. V. almost half an hour to recover from the assault before he was able to take the bus home. Once he arrived at home, Mr. V. broke down. He was unable to sleep or go to work the next day.

Corp policier (SPVM, SQ, GRC, agent de la STM, etc):