Police operation underway in Montreal East

Dozens of Montreal police officers (SPVM) are in the east end of the city Friday morning as part of an operation in connection with a recent shooting.

“This operation is in progress and linked to the bullet events that occurred in Rivière-des-Prairies,” confirmed Véronique Comtois, spokesperson for the Montreal police. « In order not to harm the operation, no further information will be given. »

It comes after shots were fired shortly before midnight Thursday night on Boulevard Maurice-Duplessis near 27th Avenue.

Officers found an injured 25-year-old woman at the scene. His injuries are not considered life threatening.

According to the police, four suspects, all men, fled in a car and were chased by the police. The suspects’ vehicle crashed on Broadway Ave. Two of the suspects, aged 18 and 23, were arrested immediately, police said, while the other two men managed to escape and are considered armed and dangerous. The suspects who have been arrested are expected to be interviewed by investigators later Friday.

Police say they are unsure of the location of one of the suspects, but believe the other is hiding in the area, which sparked the ongoing police operation. They say no one was injured in the crash and a firearm was discovered at the crash site.

Comtois describes the situation as dangerous, but clarifies that there are no active shooters on the scene.

A shooting in Rivière-des-Prairies injured a woman. (Cosmo Santamaria/CTV News)

Manuel Couture, spokesperson for the SPVM, indicated that tactical teams from local and provincial police forces are looking for the suspect. A Sûreté du Québec (SQ) helicopter is also taking part in the operation.

« The main thing we believe is that this person is involved in a shooting and we don’t want to take any risks with the safety of the population and the safety of our police officers. When we have the information that a suspect is maybe armed for a perimeter, it’s okay to do a big perimeter,” Couture said.

Police are asking people to avoid a large commercial and industrial area in Montreal East, from Henri-Bourassa Boulevard to the north, from the Metropolitan Highway to the south, from Broadway Street to the west and from Marien Avenue to the East.

It is unclear how long the area will remain off-limits. The canine unit is also on site.