Knife-wielding man charged with assault, resisting arrest after Montreal police chase

A man arrested Thursday morning following a pursuit on foot by Montreal police, during which at least one shot was fired in downtown Montreal, appeared before a Quebec Court judge on Friday.

“You didn’t see the video,” Kodee McDonald, 34, asked Judge Rose-Mélanie Drivod during a brief appearance made through a video conference connecting a Montreal courtroom to the police department’s south operation centre where he was detained.

The question was McDonald’s apparent reference to a video recorded by a witness of the incident Thursday morning, beginning near the intersection of Ste-Catherine and Berri Sts. In the video, several Montreal police officers are seen approaching a man who appeared to be holding a knife.

As the officers approached, the man ran off and two police patrol cars collided into one another. Detonations could be heard as officers pursued the man. A police spokesperson said Thursday that officers fired rubber bullets and at least one gunshot was fired, but it did not strike the man who was eventually arrested. At least one stun-gun weapon was also used in the attempt to subdue the man.

Videos of the pursuit and the arrest were published by several media, including The Gazette.

On Friday, McDonald was charged with assaulting police officers while carrying a weapon and resisting arrest. He was also charged with violating a probation order.

McDonald has a very long criminal record.

A Crown prosecutor asked that McDonald undergo a quick mental health evaluation and objected to his release.

McDonald appeared to be surprised that he will be detained. That is when he asked the judge if she had seen the video.

“What did I do? I assaulted a police officer,” McDonald said, appearing somewhat confused.

A legal aid lawyer who represented McDonald on Friday entered a not guilty plea to the charges he faces and asked that all court proceedings be held in English.

The judge agreed to set Monday as the next date in the case.

pcherry@postmedia.com

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