Montreal police say two suspects have been arrested in connection with a stolen vehicle investigation and the hit and run of an officer earlier this year.
Police say one of the arrests was the 51-year-old driver of an allegedly stolen vehicle who struck an officer in Saint-Laurent in February. The man was arrested Thursday in L’Assomption.
BACKGROUND: Montreal police officer injured in hit-and-run
On the evening of Feb. 5, police say two officers were on Halpern Street when a vehicle approached them, then drove away. The officers later stopped the vehicle on Diab Street.
As officers were getting out of their cruiser to speak to the driver, the suspect allegedly struck one of them. Police say they fired in the direction of the fleeing suspect vehicle. The SPVM says the suspect then fled on foot.
The injured officer was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect is scheduled to appear at the Montreal courthouse Friday to face several charges, including aggravated assault, vehicle theft and receiving stolen goods.
A 38-year-old woman was also arrested in Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles on Thursday and will appear in court Friday as well. She is facing charges of accessory after the fact, theft of a motor vehicle and receiving stolen goods.
“The SPVM takes this opportunity to remind people that attacking police officers is simply unacceptable,” police said in a news release. “Such acts will not be tolerated in our society. People who commit them or are complicit in them will be arrested to answer for their actions.”
Police believe the two arrested suspects are linked to several vehicle thefts.