The patrolling officers noticed three men standing next to a green car parked in front of a building on Redfern between Sherbrooke Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard around 2 p.m. on May 6.
The building had been burgled in the past, so the officers thought it would be a good idea to keep watch. They parked in a nearby alley, but by then lost track of the three suspects.
Nonetheless, the police ran the license plates of the car and got the name of its owner. A few minutes later, two of the suspects left the Redfern building and walked towards Sherbrooke, one carrying a white sports bag slung over his shoulder.
The officers followed them and questioned the two obviously anxious individuals about what they were doing in the building. Both gave different answers.
The man carrying the sports bag also nervously tried to hide it from police during the questioning, but then opened it to reveal two crowbars, a mask, a memory card, a glove and other items.
When asked what these were for, the suspect answered: "They're for my workout."
Meanwhile, police backup was arriving on the scene. As two new officers approached the green vehicle, the third suspect jogged over to them. He admitted the vehicle belonged to him but couldn't explain why he was in the building in the first place.
The four officers gathered the men together while one other cop entered into the building. He noticed the door had been damaged and then, playing the security video, watched as the men broke in.
They were arrested on the spot and ended up admitting to a total of 73 separate burglaries. They face a slew of charges, including breaking-and-entering, conspiracy and misdemeanor.
"Thanks to their teamwork and dexterity, the Station 12 police officers were able to catch the three red-handed, and investigators were able to close a series of unsolved burglaries," said Station 12's Alain Diallo.
It's a well-kept secret that Station 12 has a lost and found.
"We have bags, yoga mats, we have items like car keys," said Pimentel. "When you lose an item in Westmount, try calling Station 12.We're surprised people misplace such nice stuff."
The goods are found by police, public security or just brought in by residents. They're kept for three months then sold at auction (like a number of bikes the police currently have on hand) or thrown away.
So if something's gone missing, call Station 12 at 514-280-0112.
