Man to undergo evaluation after ‘James Bond-style’ boat theft
A man has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after allegedly stealing a jet boat from the Old Port of Montreal in what was described by the boat’s owner as a scene straight out of a James Bond movie.
Jack Kowalski said he has never witnessed anything like what happened last Monday in his 35 years of operating Lachine Rapids Tours, a company that offers boat rides on the St. Lawrence River in Old Montreal.
When he arrived at the docks around 9 a.m. on Aug. 6, one of his employees ran up to him shouting that someone had stolen one of their boats.
Kowalski and one of his colleagues decided to follow the man, who Kowalski alleges was an Old Port of Montreal employee, out onto the river in a boat of their own.
“It happened all so fast, this was just our reaction,” he said. “We didn’t have any time for discussion of what our strategy would be or what we were going to try to do.”
While chasing the man down the river, Kowalski said an altercation ensued that resulted in the man allegedly climbing from the stolen vessel onto theirs.
As a fight broke out between the three men, Kowalski said his colleague put their boat into full speed, causing the suspect to fall into the water, where he was promptly rescued and taken into custody by police.
“The irony of it is we always sold (our boat rides) as a James Bondstyle thrill ride,” Kowalski said. “And here we were, in a James Bond ( boat chase) in real life.”
In hindsight, Kowalski admitted it might have been better to allow police to handle the situation, but at the time, they feared the suspect would use the boat to damage surrounding property or injure others out on the water. “We just wanted the boat back.”
“It went from fast to finished all in about half an hour, but it was a pretty intense half an hour,” Kowalski said.
The suspect has since been charged with stealing a motor vehicle worth more than $5,000.
A spokesperson for the Old Port of Montreal would not confirm if the man was indeed one of their employees, but said they would wait until “the internal process ran its course” before taking any action.
The suspect’s lawyer, Caroline Braun, was also unable to answer any questions regarding her client or the case.
The suspect is expected to reappear in court in September.