Laval Police Say A High Schooler Was Nearly Kidnapped & A Gunshot Was Fired

Police arrested a 17-year-old not long after the incident.

Staff Writer

An apparent near-kidnapping at a Laval high school has resulted in one arrest, according to Laval police.

Service de police de Laval (SPL) spokesperson Stéphanie Beshara said that two "hooded suspects" assaulted and attempted to kidnap a student at École Curé-Antoine-Labelle. A gunshot was fired in the air before the suspects fled the scene.

"We received a call around 3 p.m. concerning an incident at École Curé-Antoine-Labelle near the Latour Pavilion," said Beshara.

According to Beshara, "a suspect vehicle with several individuals inside parked at the school." Two suspects got out of the vehicle as two students exited the school.

"One suspect went after one of the students and tried to kidnap him," said Beshara.

"There was an altercation and the friend of the victim was able to intervene. Then, one of the suspects fired a gunshot into the air. The two suspects re-entered the vehicle and made their escape."

No one was injured by the gunshot, according to the SPL.

After an investigation, police found a vehicle on rue Maisonneuve in Sainte-Dorothée. They arrested a 17-year-old suspect "for attempted kidnapping."

The SPL says that "the suspect was released under conditions."

This is one of several gun-related incidents reported in the Montreal area in recent days, and the second one involving teenagers. On Sunday, a 16-year-old Montrealer was shot and killed in Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension near the École Joseph-François-Perrault, a high school.

It was the 31st homicide on the Montreal territory in 2021. Montreal police say they are still investigating.

The incidents don't seem to be related.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Teddy Elliot
  • Teddy Elliot was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. He was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec and has a B.A. in Literature. Teddy has been a journalist for three years and was once an English teacher. His creative work has appeared in The Blasted Tree and Parenthetical Magazine. When he's not chasing scoops, Teddy can be found cheering on Aston Villa and listening to 80s power ballads. He was shortlisted for a Digital Publishing Award in 2021.

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