Homeless man testifies in kidnapping, assault case against Montreal police officers

Kidnapping, insults, and death threats — all things one homeless man says he was subjected to at the hands of two Montreal police officers 12 years ago, before they abandoned him by the side of the road.

Tobie-Charles Angers Levasseur testified at the Montreal courthouse Tuesday in the case against police officers Patrick Guay and Pierre-Luc Furlotte. 

The two are charged with forcible confinement, assault and uttering threats after allegedly forcing Levasseur into a police cruiser on March 31, 2010.

"They wrapped a garbage bag around my head with tape, they brought me out to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue," Levasseur told a 911 operator at the time. An excerpt from the call was played in the courtroom Tuesday.

"They left me there, threatening to shoot me in the head."

The night of the incident

On the night in question, Levasseur said he was in downtown Montreal, when he became upset after someone allegedly stole money from him. Angry, he began to make a scene and threw a decorative shrub on de Maisonneuve Boulevard. 

Officers arrived on the scene shortly after. Levasseur was handcuffed and taken to Station 20, a downtown police station located on Sainte-Catherine's Street, near the corner of Bishop Street.

That's where Levasseur said Guay and Furlotte put a garbage bag on his head and forced him into the cruiser. They began driving him toward Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, a suburban neighborhood he didn't know.

On the way, Levasseur alleged the officers insulted and belittled him, calling him a drain on society and suggesting he commit suicide. 

Before leaving him on the roadside, Levasseur claims the officers told him to kneel next to the patrol car. He claims they pressed a gun to his head while garbage bag was still on and said they were going to do what he didn't have the courage to do.

The two officers left the scene. Levasseur said he then flagged down a motorist who gave him a ride to a convenience store, where he called emergency services.

Cross-examination to continue Wednesday

Defence lawyers began their cross-examination of Levasseur on Tuesday. The questioning is expected to continue Wednesday.

The defence argued that Levasseur is not a credible or reliable witness, questioning his memory and highlighting his drug use. Levasseur was using drugs in 2010 and continues to do so today and has been in and out of prison in the years since. 

Guay and Furlotte were suspended with pay by the Montreal police. They were arrested in 2018 but are not currently in police custody. Levasseur is still homeless.