Toronto-area man files complaint against Laval police over violent detainment
Posted September 11, 2024 11:19 am.
Last Updated September 11, 2024 6:51 pm.
A man from the Toronto area claims he was racially profiled and assaulted by Laval police in Quebec on Labour Day Weekend.
On Sept. 1, Gulaid Mahdi Omar says he was tased, beaten and pepper-sprayed by over a dozen Laval police officers.
The 30-year-old Mississauga man was waiting for his friends outside his parked rental car when he explains that he was suddenly intercepted by police.
Officers ordered them to return to their car, and after asking several times if they were being detained. A series of videos posted to social media by Red Coalition, a human rights group who advocates for Black and racialized people, show Omar violently thrown to the ground.
Laval police can be seen pressing their knees on the victim’s neck and back, and repeatedly punching him on the ground.
“What they try to say, ‘You’re resisting,'” says Omar. “I’m not resisting, I’m saying ‘I can’t breathe, cuff me, I don’t wanna die.'”
It’s important to note that the video starts as he’s on the ground. There is no footage prior to that.
In the video, Omar can be heard gasping for air, pleading for his life and telling officers that “I can’t breathe.”
“The footage in this video is deeply disturbing and reminiscent of the 2019 assault and death of George Floyd,” said Red Coalition Executive Director Joel DeBellefeuille. “This is the most shocking and upsetting instances of racial profiling I have ever seen. Omar was clearly in compliance, and yet officers continued to use excessive force.”
“I feel sick, disgusted, frustrated,” said DeBellefeuille.
One officer can be seen calling for backup when Omar’s hands were restrained, as he was being pepper sprayed and spit mask was placed on his face by another officer – all while being pinned to the ground.
The incident lasted around 10 to 15 minutes.
“I can’t come to come to myself to watch the video,” says Omar. “On numerous occasions I’ve just been crying, I try to hold it in.”
After being taken to hospital, Omar was billed $350 for the ambulance ride.
He also received two $176 tickets – one for failing to provide a driver’s license and the other for failing to produce registration or insurance, despite not being the driver.
Before the incident took place, the Mississauga man said he had seen the same police car looking at their vehicle prior to the incident and told his friends that they might get racially profiled.
In a statement to CityNews, Laval police said: “On the night of September 1, 2024, a pair of police officers were patrolling near a bar in the Pont-Viau neighbourhood. They observed a vehicle in function not far from the establishment with three occupants inside. Given the late hour and the vehicle’s location, the officers intercepted it to check the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle. The individual who was intercepted refused to cooperate with the police and resisted, forcing them to use a continuum of force.”
They add that Omar was arrested and released on a summons. Criminal charges may be brought by the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions and that he was issued traffic violation tickets.
“The Laval Police Service is aware of the video and the statement published by the Red Coalition regarding this intervention. After analysis, the police officers acted in compliance with the formative teachings. The officers are not suspended. We will not be making further comments at this time.”
“We want to remind the public that the Laval Police Service does not tolerate any form of discrimination. Integrity, respect, and diversity are at the core of our police service’s values and guide our daily actions and commitment to the Laval community. We also remind that independent bodies exist allowing any citizen to file a complaint about a police intervention, namely the Commissaire à la déontologie policière or the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse.”
Omar says he does not drink and took a breathalyzer test after the incident, which he says showed he had no alcohol in his system.
Omar sought out the Red Coalition to hold the officers involved accountable and to pursue legal action.
The group filed a police ethics complaint.
DeBellefeuille says Laval police breached around 20 sections of Quebec’s Code of ethics.
“This type of brutal and unjust treatment cannot go unanswered. Racial profiling and police brutality continue to plague our society, and the Red Coalition is committed to standing up for the rights of those who are targeted and silenced,” said DeBellefeuille.
“I almost died. I was thinking about my mom and my family on the ground there. So it’s like, I imagine like my mom hearing I died for nothing, over getting two tickets. It’s just ridiculous,” said Omar.
