Bravado on Snapchat: 5 years in prison for having played with a firearm

A young man who seems fascinated by the criminal lifestyle has received five years in prison after staging on Snapchat with a handgun. The pistol has never been found, but videos published online and its own statements were enough to convince justice.

It was Internet users who denounced Alex-Antoine Boivin, then 23 years old, after having seen him in a video shoot a shot in the middle of a Quebec residential area, in April 2023.

In this first video, filmed by his friend and roommate Samuel Tremblay, we see Boinvin out a pistol, insert a charger, then pull towards the street. Samuel Tremblay then published the video on Snapchat.

A few hours later, the two men are in a friend. Boivin is filmed again, this time in a bedroom. He spin the weapon over the bed before catching it with one hand, while pushing a sound of satisfaction.

Even if the pistol has never been found, judge Réna Émond concluded, in the light of the accused’s images and behavior, whether it was a prohibited weapon or restricted authorization. He was found guilty of having intentionally unloaded the weapon, without worrying about the life or the security of others.

“I am a superstar »

In addition to the videos, the prosecution was able to count on the boastful of Boivin to support his proof. The young man was arrested in Baie-Saint-Paul a few days after the publication of compromising images, after a police pursuit worthy of a film.

On May 5, 2023, the police were alerted that two armed individuals circulated in town and threatened to open fire to agents. One of them is Alex-Antoine Boivin, who fled by taking a wooded path before throwing himself into an agitated river. Carried away by the current, he manages to grab a rock, from where a policeman will recover it to arrest him.

In the hospital, he is delighted with the attention he receives. Watched by police officers, he admits to medical staff that he consumed drugs and is delighted to have been at the heart of a police pursuit. It was sick, I liked it, I am a superstar.

It’s a matter to live in his life, and I have tripped.

As for the pistol, he will say to have it river. The police never found it.

But the young man continues to self-inform by approaching himself the events that have occurred in Quebec. CHU not dangerous, I just fired in the streethe confirms. He describes himself as a guysimply claiming to find weapons stylish.

He also declares: You would give me 25 years [de prison] Drette and I would go. I’m not stressed with that.

Except that Boivin changed rifle once before the courts, where he challenged the accusations. He argued for his defense that nothing proved that it was truly a firearm. Even without the weapon, the videos submitted in evidence and the accused’s own words convinced the judge to be out of all reasonable doubt of the contrary.

At the time of the determination of the sentence, his lawyer, Marie-Laure generous, tried to have the minimum sentence of five years invalidated, deeming her unconstitutional. After saying being ready to serve 25 years Drettehe hoped to get away with a two -year sentence.

But judge Émond, who said the sentence last week, did not have to decide the constitutional question. According to her, the severity of the gestures, added to the judicial history of Boivin and to its risk of recurrence, fully justifies a sentence of five years of imprisonment, as claimed by the DPCP prosecutor, Me Maël Tardif.

Boivin had been released under condition after his arrest, after making a commitment to follow therapy in a specialized center. However, he illegally left the rehabilitation house a few days after admission.

Arrested again, he remained detained until the end of legal proceedings. Due to the time already spent in detention, he has a little over two years to serve.