Police seek man who pepper-sprayed two people with homophobic slurs in the Village

Montreal police are seeking a man accused of pepper-spraying two people and hurling homophobic slurs at them in the Village on the night of July 9.

The incident occurred at Sainte-Catherine Street East and Saint-Christophe Street. According to police, a group of three people shouted homophobic slurs at the victims — who include a member of the LGBTQ2+ community — while they were at a restaurant. After the victims left, the group followed them. The primary suspect then continued hurling insults, brandished a telescopic metal baton, and sprayed cayenne pepper at both people.

The suspect is described as a French-speaking man in his 20s, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, with medium-length dark hair. At the time, he wore a light-gray shirt, gray pants, white sneakers, and carried a black crossbody bag.

The SPVM has released video of the incident, photographs of the primary suspect, and photographs of two witnesses they are also seeking to identify. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police. The suspect and witnesses remain unidentified as of October 20.