A police operation in Montreal’s West Island temporarily closed all three eastbound lanes on Highway 40 in Senneville.
The road was closed at 1 a.m. Monday following a police chase and shooting involving the Montreal police department.
Highway 40 was reopened at around 9:30 a.m.
Montreal police are not commenting on the incident, as Quebec’s bureau of independent investigations (BEI) has taken over the file.
The police watchdog group says the events began during the day Sunday, when SPVM officers drove a 28-year-old man to hospital for a problem related to drug use.
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Following his release from hospital, the man is said to have stolen a vehicle.
Preliminary reports obtained by the BEI indicate a police pursuit ensued, but was quickly called off as it was deemed too dangerous.
Police later spotted the stolen vehicle near a West Island restaurant.
BEI spokesperson Martin Bonin-Charron said the officers approached the vehicle on foot, thinking the suspect was inside the restaurant.
“The man was behind the wheel and he tried to flee by driving towards the officers with his vehicle,” Bonin-Charron said. “That’s when the police officers fired at the vehicle.”
Bonin said the driver managed to flee, heading onto Highway 40 West.
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After a police chase involving both Montreal police and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the vehicle was intercepted and stopped on Highway 40 East.
Bonin-Charron said officers only realized the man had been shot, after he tried to get out of the vehicle.
“The police officers then had to use the electric impulse weapon to control the man who got out of the car and that’s when they realized he had been hit earlier when he was shot near the restaurant,” he told Global News.
The suspect was taken to hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
An undisclosed number of officers also suffered minor injuries during the police operation.
The BEI is now tasked with verifying the accuracy of the preliminary reports.
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The BEI investigates whenever a civilian is injured or killed during a police intervention.