Police are reportedly investigating a case of attempted murder of a court interpreter at the Longueuil courthouse on Tuesday.
PHOTO : RADIO-CANADA / SIMON-MARC CHARRON
According to reports, the court of the incident is located on the corner of Boulevard Roland-Therrien and Boulevard Jacques-Cartier.
The injured person was Hai Thach, a man in his 60s, a well-known and respected court interpreter. He suffered serious neck injuries and remains in critical condition.
Police spokeswoman Mélanie Mercier said the attack took place around noon on Tuesday. "First responders arrived at the scene and administered first aid to the injured person, who was then taken to the hospital, and his condition was not very optimistic. ”
The suspect, a 43-year-old man, was arrested at the scene and could be charged with attempted murder. According to court sources, the victim was a long-time court interpreter who was responsible for translating into French and English if the person appearing in court spoke Mandarin. In 2020, when Frank Cao was arrested and interrogated for the murder of a Chinese woman on Nun Island, he was the interpreter.
The attack, which allegedly took place around 11:30 a.m. on the second floor of the courthouse, was attacked with a knife, causing injuries to the interpreter's upper body. According to eyewitnesses, it was a black knife. SPAL officers confirmed that they received a call around noon and rushed to the scene to deal with the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
Patrick Davis, a lawyer who was present, said he heard someone shouting on the second floor and he realized something had happened. "At that time, I saw that the court interpreter I knew was covered in blood, a lot of blood, especially on his face. "Soon after, another man came up to him, behaved strangely, and told him that someone had a gun. He turned to look behind him, appearing scared and fleeing the scene of the crime. But Davis then saw that the man tried to go downstairs but turned away when he saw the police, and he reported the man's bizarre behavior to them. It turned out that the other party was the suspect.
Davis said he also saw a knife on the floor after the attack. He added that the victim was a well-known court interpreter. When the parties or witnesses present in court speak in Mandarin, other Chinese dialects or Vietnamese, the victim will interpret to keep the proceedings running smoothly. He also exchanged greetings with the victim that morning. Although the stabbing took place, the atmosphere in the courthouse was not alarming. However, many have questioned the lack of security in Longueuil and most Quebec courts.
PHOTO BY ALLEN MCINNIS /Montreal Gazette files
Public access to Montreal's courts must first go through a set of "airport-style security," which is relatively strict. But the entrance to the Longueuil courthouse is uncontrolled, and there is no one to prevent people from bringing weapons or dangerous materials into the courtroom. "Anyone can carry a weapon to commit a mass crime. ”
PHOTO : RADIO-CANADA / SIMON-MARC CHARRON
An eyewitness who appeared in court at the time said he saw a man with a lot of blood on his face and throat, shouting out "Help! Help!" Franck Perales, president of the Quebec government's Special Police League, agreed with Davis' words. "We have been asking the courts to tighten security measures and install probe arches or X-ray scanners. We believe that if the Longueuil Court had these devices today, we would have been able to avoid this tragedy. ”