The Laval Fire Dept. marked the arrival of two dozen new firefighter recruits last week, part of a hiring effort to increase the force’s firefighting strength while replacing retiring staff.
“We wish a warm welcome to our 24 new firefighters,” the Association des Pompiers de Laval (APL) said in a post on social media. “They are proud to protect and to serve all the citizens of Laval. Good luck and much success professionally while you are with us.”
At the same time, the LFD announced the promotion of several staffers. Jonathan Dufour, Dave Langlois, Jean-François Fontaine and Jean-François Dion-Roy were promoted to Lieutenants of operations effective April 22.
Suspects arrested after shooting at a residence in Laval
Two suspects appeared by videoconference at the Laval courthouse las week regarding a shooting which took place at a residence on Nénuphars Street in Laval’s Sainte-Dorothée district.
The two men, Bonyad Gulam Ali and Adam Hamouchi, were arrested Friday night in Laval by the Laval Police and the Sûreté du Québec’s major crimes division shortly after the gunshots were fired.
Ali and Hamouchi, both from Laval, are 18 years old. They both face charges of discharging a firearm and have remained in custody since their appearance.
Around 12 o’clock on the night of April 13, the two suspects allegedly fired a shot at a residence on Nénuphars Street, in Laval, before fleeing in a vehicle, said an SQ spokesperson, adding that they were quickly located and arrested by officers from the LPD.
Four teen arrests for ‘threats’ include some at Sainte-Rose high-school
Over a period of several days, the Laval Police arrested four teenagers for allegedly uttering threats at two Sainte-Rose high-schools – including one where similar incidents were previously reported.
Although the LPD ended up concluding that the threats were actually hoaxes, they still required lockdowns and a large police presence.
Administrators at the schools involved – École Poly-Jeunesse on Sainte-Rose Blvd. and École secondaire Curé-Antoine-Labelle on Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Blvd. – summoned the police to deal with “threatening comments” by students on three occasions over a period of more than a week.
“In order to ensure security on the premises and to carry out multiple checks, the LPD had to confine thousands of students,” the LPD said in a statement.
The four teen suspects who were arrested could face mischief charges.
In the fall of 2023, the Laval Police said they had arrested a person under the age of 18 in connection with a stabbing that took place near École secondaire Curé-Antoine-Labelle.
As well, in November 2021, two teenagers were beaten at the high school as they were leaving classes by a group of young people who fired a gunshot during the altercation, ultimately leading to a large police deployment and the arrest of one suspect.
LPD identifies man who ‘flashed’ customers at Duvernay Tim Horton’s
The Laval Police say they have identified a suspect in connection with an indecent-exposure incident at a Tim Horton’s coffee shop at 825 Vanier Blvd. in Duvernay in March.
According to the LPD, the incident occurred on the evening of March 4. The police had previously released surveillance photos to help the force’s sexual crimes unit track him down.
“He allegedly exposed his genitals while inside the restaurant,” the LPD said in a statement explaining why investigators were seeking him.
The suspect, described as a Caucasian male, around 30 years old, was estimated to be 1m71 (5’8”) tall and 95 kg (209 lb) in weight. He had brown hair and a brown beard. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black cap, a black hoodie, blue jeans and black construction boots.
Police raids in Laval and Montreal after gang member killed
Montreal police (SPVM) officers conducted several raids last week in Laval, Brossard and Montreal as part of an investigation into the murder of an alleged gang member.
Nearly 100 police officers from the Laval Police, the SPVM and the Longueuil Police took part in the operation. This was in response to the murder of a 28-year-old man who was shot on Feb. 17 while leaving a restaurant on Bellechasse St. in Montreal.
The victim, Brandon Jean Célestin, was the brother of alleged gang leader Jean-Philippe Célestin. The Célestin brothers were reportedly linked to Gregory Woolley, a man who was killed in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, south of Montreal in November 2023.
