A Black man falsely accused of stealing a car last year is suing Montreal police (SPVM) for $125,000.
Forty-four-year-old Brice Dossa was stopped and handcuffed by two SPVM officers back in November of 2022. Even after police realized they had the wrong man, they couldn’t release him because they couldn’t find the key to unlock the handcuffs.
A video of the incident went viral at the time.
“You handcuff someone and you don’t have the keys? This is nonsense,” Dossa can be heard exclaiming in the video filmed by a bystander.
The lawsuit names the city, the Montreal police service and the two police officers who detained Dossa.
“There’s a lot that I think the police service has to answer for,” Dossa’s lawyer Fernando Belton told Global News in an interview.
Originally from Benin, Dossa was working as an orderly and an Uber driver last November when he stopped at the Marché Central McDonald’s to grab a bite.
He was stunned when two officers handcuffed him in the parking lot.
According to the lawsuit, they told Dossa his car was identified as stolen.
“They actually came to realize that they that, well, the car hasn’t been stolen and that it was my client’s car,” Belton explained.
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The officers couldn’t remove the handcuffs, however, because they couldn’t find the keys.
In the video, Dossa can be heard demanding they remove the cuffs, followed by an officer responding “I’m waiting for the keys.”
Belton says it took several minutes for another squad car to bring the keys. All the while, people were filming and staring.
“It was really humiliating for him, having to wait in handcuffs with the police officer not even acknowledging the mistake that they made at that moment,” said Belton. He said Dossa still gets recognized in the street to this day.
At the time, Mayor Valérie Plante and Public Security Minister François Bonnardel both expressed concern.
The police pledged to investigate.
According to the lawsuit, the officers abused their power and dismissed his concerns, among other claims.
In the video, Dossa can be heard saying the handcuffs are hurting him. An officer responds, “Did we hurt you? You’re not even hurt. We didn’t even hit you.”
His lawyer says it’s a case of racial profiling that has had long-term effects on Dossa. He says his client has never received an apology.
“He suffered from PTSD and had to take several weeks of work,” he said, affirming that a doctor diagnosed Dossa with post-traumatic stress.
Anti-racial profiling advocate Alain Babineau of the Red Coalition is certain Dossa was racially profiled.
“There is no doubt at all, none whatsoever,” he said. “Here we have a case of selection. Why was he selected by the police as a potential car thief to begin with?“
Former police officer André Durocher says an out-of-court settlement is likely.
He sees a big problem with the officers not having the handcuff key.
“If you’re going to handcuff somebody, you have to be able to remove those handcuffs, even if it’s for medical reasons. What happens if somebody has, you know, a heart attack or something?” Durocher wonders.
The Montreal police said they will not comment on the lawsuit because the matter is before the courts.
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