by Timothy Edward, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
In a video posted on social media, Laval police are seen restraining and punching a Black man in an apparent act of police brutality. According to the Red Coalition, a Montreal-based human rights advocacy organization, the victim is 31-year-old Gulaid Mahdi Omar, who was visiting Montreal from the Toronto area. The incident took place on Sept. 1, 2024.
Another video shows a second man is restrained and arrested on the scene, and the two police officers who were initially restraining and beating Omar are joined by at least five more officers who participate in the arrest. Red Coalition says that Omar was also pepper-sprayed and tazed.
Omar is heard in the videos saying “I can’t breathe” and “I don’t want to die.”
The Red Coalition’s Joel De Bellefeuille says, “The footage in this video is deeply disturbing and reminiscent of the 2019 assault and death of George Floyd. This is the most shocking and upsetting instance of racial profiling I have ever seen. Mr. Omar was clearly in compliance, and yet officers continued to use excessive force.”
Laval police says they intercepted a stopped vehicle near a bar late at night and decided “to check the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle.” One of the occupants refused to co-operate, according to police, and “resisted, forcing them to use a continuum of force.”