Montreal Police Face Backlash for Wrongfully Detaining Black Man, Losing Keys to Handcuffs

Montreal police are facing backlash for detaining a Black man accused of trying to steal his own car, and then losing the keys to the handcuffs.

According to a CTV report, Brice Dossa said he was stopped in a commercial parking lot next to his own vehicle by two plainclothes officers who detained him shortly after. Police believed the Honda SUV in question showed signs of attempted theft. Despite wearing plainclothes, Dossa said the officers did not introduce themselves as police, nor explain the situation prior to handcuffing him.

The video of the incident hit social media.

When Dossa was able to prove that the vehicle was his, officers were not able to let him go because they misplaced the cuff keys. The keys were eventually delivered from the nearby police station.

Upon being let go, Dossa told officers, “You’ve humiliated me.”

The SPVM are now facing backlash in what is being labelled as racial profiling following the video circulation of the incident on social media. Francois Bonnardel, Quebec’s public safety minister, released a statement saying that the incident is now being looked into.

Several city officials have come forth commenting on the SPVM’s actions. A member of Montreal’s executive committee for public safety, Alain Vaillancourt, called the incident “disturbing,” while Quebec’s minister in charge of fighting racism says that “[he] has questions.”

The incident is yet another public case in the long history of the SPVM being accused of racially profiling a Black person. Recently, a Quebec judge ordered an end to random traffic stops in an attempt to curb violations typically affecting minorities that infringe on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.