Station 12 police have a suspect in custody following several vehicle break-ins in Westmount over the past few weeks.
"It's nothing new, but there's something particular about this one," Constable Adalbert Pimentel said of the thefts from cars parked in indoor garages.
On Jan. 29, on Rosemount Avenue, a thief targeted cars in an apartment building's indoor parking garage.
"The suspect goes in the front door," Pimentel said. "He only brakes into the ones with valuables. It just goes to say, your car isn't safe in interior parking."
Cameras in the garage captured a white male wearing a hood and a three-quarter length jacket. It appears the same suspect broke into an apartment building on de Maisonneuve Boulevard in Montreal the next day. At the peak of indoor parking break-ins, Station 12 police got nine calls in one day across their territory.
"They're targeting GPSs (Global Positioning Systems). They're hot on the market right now," Pimentel said. Even leaving a GPS or mp3 player wire out in the open can mean your car will be targeted, he warned.
"At the minimum, nothing can be visible," he said. "People assume it's safe to park indoors. But you have to treat your car like it's on the street."
Then, on Feb. 9, between 8:29 and 8:45 p.m., there was another break-in in an apartment building on de Maisonneuve Boulevard, and six vehicles in the indoor parking garage were damaged. But this time police were able to make an arrest.
"The police get there and look at the video and recognize the suspect," said Station 12 Constable Adalbert Pimentel. "He's known in the sector."
The suspect — wearing a dark three-quarter length jacket, a hood, and red wool gloves — had used a screwdriver to break into the building.
Around 11:30 p.m. that same night, patrolling police officers caught sight of a man who matched the description walking on Ste. Catherine Street near St. Marc Street downtown.
"He was walking out of Westmount," said Pimentel.
The suspect was arrested and now faces 33 separate criminal charges.
"It's a good thing the security camera (in the apartment) wasn't black-and-white," said Pimentel, noting the suspect had been caught 'red-handed' wearing scarlet gloves. "It's a job well done. We're satisfied that vehicle break-ins should come down."
Each year around this time, crows descend on lower Westmount and roost in the city's mature trees. Last year, the record breaking invasion of the black birds ruffled a few feathers — but they pose no risk to the population, according to authorities.
"You have to remember each year — we're on their migration route," said Westmount public security's Richard Bourdon. "We can't do anything, but there's no danger."
Bourdon's statement is echoed by Quebec's natural resources ministry, though it warns that any resident who sees a dead crow should call the ministry right away.
Residents are also warned not to touch any dead crows they may find.
Bird corpses that arouse suspicion will undergo tests for the avian flu virus. If a resident does need to move a dead bird, they are advised to wear gloves and to pick up the bird using a plastic bag. The corpse should be kept somewhere cool and out of the way, but not placed in the fridge or freezer. The ministry can be contacted at 1-877-644-4545 daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
