Mamadi Camara receives Medal of the National Assembly for volunteer work

Mamadi III Fara Camara, a PhD student who was wrongfully arrested by Montreal police and detained for six days, was awarded the Medal of the National Assembly on Friday.

Frantz Benjamin, the MNA for the Viau riding in Montreal's east end, presented Camara with the award to "highlight his sense of civic duty and his volunteer work with youth."

Camara works with an organization called Ali et les Prince.sse.s de la rue. 

In late January, Camara, who worked as a lab manager at École Polytéchnique, was pulled over by Montreal Police Officer Sanjay Vig, under the suspicion of using his cellphone while driving.

Vig gave Camara a ticket, walked back towards his police car, and was hit in the head from behind.

Gun shots were also fired in his direction.

Camara was arrested and spent six days in jail after being charged with attempted murder, assaulting a police officer and disarming a police officer.

The charges against him were eventually dropped.

The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal has since publicly apologized to Camara.

Last month, Ali Ngarukiye, 21, was arrested in Toronto and charged in connection with Vig's attack. 

Ngarukiye was formally charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault of a police officer, attempting to disarm a peace officer and using a prohibited firearm. He was also accused of stealing two vehicles.