A fugitive considered dangerous, who had been on the run for seven months after fleeing while on parole, was arrested by the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) in Montérégie on Wednesday.
Faouzi Harmali was tracked down by Montreal police after seven months on the run. They intervened with an armored truck to arrest the criminal with a long rap sheet, whose level of dangerousness was considered “high” according to the wanted notice published by the Crime Stoppers organization.
The 30-year-old is still serving a six-year prison sentence imposed in 2021 for possession of a loaded handgun. The case stemmed from an SPVM investigation into an attempted murder of a Montreal gang leader.
However, he was able to benefit from conditional release after two thirds of his sentence. He had to respect severe conditions but instead disappeared into the wild in November.
It is worth noting that before his escape, correctional services had recommended that his release be suspended, on the grounds that he had been seen with criminals and had visited an area of the city where he was not allowed to be. However, the Parole Board of Canada determined that these were not violations that would justify putting him back behind bars.
Authorities had been on his trail ever since and a $2,000 reward was being offered for information leading to his arrest. The wanted notice mentioned that the suspect was known to have been armed during his previous crimes.
Faouzi Harmali has an extensive criminal history, including robbery, armed assault, break and enter, assault, extortion, possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, home invasion, drug trafficking, theft, fraud and obstruction to a peace officer.
