Quebec man gets $4K in police abuse case

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A Senneville, Que. man has won compensation in a Montreal courthouse after a violent encounter with Montreal police three years ago.

Last week, a Quebec court judge ordered the City of Montreal to pay Marc-David Andrade more than $4,000 in damages, after he was mistakenly arrested and roughed up by local police on his way home from the airport.

Andrade launched a civil lawsuit that resulted in the Jan. 26 court decision, in which Quebec judge Suzanne Vadboncoeur described the police's actions as "abusive" and "unreasonable".

On Feb. 23 2008, Andrade returned from a cycling trip in Martinique, and landed at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport.

Though it was -7 C outside, Andrade decided to ride his bike home to Senneville, a suburb west of the airport.

He passed a police van on the way, and it followed him home. Andrade later said he believed the officer may have thought he was a thief, because he was riding a bike with a backpack in cold weather.

The Montreal officer, Mario Richard, confronted him in his driveway and called for backup.

Andrade showed his identificattion and explained this was his house, and then decided to go inside and warm up.

But he said the officer approached his house with his hand on his revolver.

"So he dropped kick the door, the door hit me in the face and I started to bleed. So at that point I said I better follow the cop," said Andrade.

He said six more police officers arrived and he was handcuffed for twenty minutes.

No charges were ever filed against him.

"I was pleased that it was recognized that what I was saying was actually truthful in the eyes of the judge," said Andrade.

Andrade said he would be more pleased if the officer in question would apologize, which has yet to happen.

Montreal police were not available to comment.
 
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