RCMP officer rammed in migrant smuggling case; accused from Brampton

A 25-year-old Brampton man is facing criminal charges after allegedly ramming an RCMP vehicle and injuring an officer during a migrant smuggling investigation near the Canada-U.S. border in Quebec.

The incident happened on the night of June 2 in the Noyan area of Quebec’s Montérégie region after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received information from the United States Border Patrol that five people had illegally crossed into Canada.

According to the RCMP, officers with the Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) launched a search operation and identified a vehicle allegedly being used to transport the migrants.

Police say an officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over and instead deliberately drove into the door of the police cruiser.

The collision injured the officer before the suspect allegedly fled the scene.

RCMP later arrested Chetan Kumar, 25, of Brampton, who has been charged with assaulting a peace officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop after an accident.

The five migrants were arrested under the Customs Act and later turned over to the Canada Border Services Agency.

The condition of the injured officer has not been released.

The RCMP said the investigation was carried out by its Champlain Detachment Integrated Border Enforcement Team, which works with Canadian and American law enforcement agencies to combat illegal cross-border activity.

Police describe human smuggling as a profitable criminal enterprise that facilitates the illegal movement of people across international borders for financial gain.