Montreal police chief on recent criminal activities, arson, shootings, extortion and teen arrests

SPVM police chief Fady Dagher wants to set the record straight and spoke directly to Montrealers Thursday afternoon to provide an update on the criminal events that have occurred in the city over the past few days – and on extortion.

This follows several arsons against businesses and at least 19 shots fired at the downtown office building of Émile Benamor – owner of the buildings that burned on October 4 on Notre-Dame Street East and in March 2023 at Place d’Youville in Old Montreal – in total, nine people died in these fires. No one was injured in the shooting – three youths aged 17, 19 and 20 were arrested – but police have not confirmed whether the case was linked to extortion.

“I am here today to set the record straight and reassure all Montrealers. From the outside, I would like to emphasize that the SPVM has always made the fight against organized crime a priority. Both in our investigations and on the ground,” he said at a press conference.

He was accompanied by Inspector David Shane, head of communications for the SPVM, and Commander Francis Renaud, head of the SPVM Organized Crime Section.

Police say these criminal events have created a feeling of anxiety among the population, particularly among business owners.

“The phenomenon of extortion is not new; it is the actors involved in organized crime and the context that have changed over time. The SPVM wishes to reassure all citizens that the fight against organized crime is a priority. The SPVM can count on specialized and determined teams, and all means are deployed to ensure the safety of the public,” the body wrote in a press release.

Renaud said he has seen as many as 40 cases of extortion over the summer and that the problem is primarily in the downtown area, with a focus on the southern region of the region.

“There is a type of business owner who can be on both sides of the metals business,” said Cmdr. Francis Renaud, head of the SPVM’s organized crime section. “But there’s also a good business owner who didn’t do anything and is a victim right now.”

What has changed over the years, Renaud says, is that the pyramid structure that long prevailed within Montreal organized crime for decades has collapsed over the past 10 to 15 years. It gave way to a less hierarchical and more volatile cell-like structure.

“However, this type of crime is on the rise and we are rolling up our sleeves to tackle it. To maximize our agility and operational efficiency, I have directed our Organized Crime Section to coordinate all investigations targeting retail extortion crimes. The objective is to maximize the efforts of all SPVM units, whether specialized investigation units, regional investigations, operational support teams or the gendarmerie,” said Dagher.

“If you are the owner of a business that is the victim of a threat, do not hesitate to contact us quickly to report the situation. Our teams, who have the required expertise, must be aware of your situation to be able to help you,” said Dagher.

He appealed to parents of young people recruited by criminal gangs: If officers knock on their doors to let them know their children are headed for trouble, listen to them.

“Right in front of you, you have three fathers, we have children and we know what we are talking about when it comes to anxiety in our children. So I ask you, please, as soon as you feel a change in your child’s behavior, the number of times he goes to class, what if he misses class, the behavior with his friend, new friend that you don’t know, the different times he comes home, they run away, all of those signs are extremely, extremely important for us to know.

“We can save them, we can stop them from going down this criminal path,” he said. “But there are parents who don’t believe us, they don’t believe they have a problem at home.”

Dagher said gangs are increasingly preying on children as young as 12 years old.

“They want to be known, so it’s pretty cool to do all kinds of things there,” Renaud said, speaking about some of the reasons why young people participate in criminal activity. “And the other thing is they might get, say, six months’ salary at McDonald’s for one night of bad things.”

Montreal police have made a series of arrests of increasingly younger suspects for gang-related activities.

On Wednesday, they announced that they had arrested seven teenagers aged 14 to 17 last week who allegedly belonged to a gang based in the Saint-Léonard borough. They are suspected of numerous violent crimes, including robbery, firearms offenses, arson and extortion.

There was also the case of a 14-year-old Montrealer who died in the Beauce region after being sent to attack a bunker allegedly belonging to a Hells Angels puppet gang in Frampton, Quebec.

“I think it’s horrible. I think it’s disgusting to see adults using young children to do dirty things that they can’t do because they don’t want to take the risk,” Dagher said.

#WATCH: “Please contact us extremely quickly,” says Montreal police chief Fady Dagher, calling on businesses to report cases of extortion. There has been an increase in this type of criminal activity in the city.

READ: https://t.co/kYn7AguINM pic.twitter.com/10Uy46QrBN

– CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) October 10, 2024

In Quebec, the Parti Québécois is calling for legislative hearings to gather testimony from parents, police officers and community groups on the growing number of young people used as “cannon fodder” by organized crime.

During an exchange in the National Assembly, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon spoke of fears in Montreal over violent street gangs enlisting young people to commit car thefts, fraud and murder. In response, Quebec Premier François Legault called the recruitment of teenagers into organized crime appalling and unacceptable.

At a previous press conference, St-Pierre Plamondon, who represents a riding in Montreal, presented this issue as a serious social problem. “Our young people, particularly in the Montreal region, are literally used as cannon fodder in a war between criminal groups,” declared St-Pierre Plamondon. “The question arises… have we lost control of street gangs?

The cooperation of the entire population is important in the fight against organized crime, adds the police.

Anyone with information about criminal activity can contact 911 or their local police station. They can also contact Info-Crime Montréal anonymously and confidentially at 514 393-1133 or via the reporting form available on infocrimemontreal.ca.

Furthermore, Dagher said he was confident that there would be an arrest following the fire in Old Montreal last Friday which claimed the lives of a mother and her daughter from France. Léonor Geraudie, 43, and Vérane Reynaud Geraudie, seven, were identified by the authorities. But police declined to say whether the case was linked to the series of extortion-related attacks.

“Know that the SPVM and (the partners) are committed to getting to the bottom of this tragedy, and we will get there, and we will get there very soon. »

-With files from The Canadian Press