“Now I realize what I did and wow … it’s really awesome. I mean, I saved a life!” Bonnet said with a laugh.
Saturday, Aug. 1 probably started out like any other Saturday for 17 year old Malyk Bonnet, but adventure awaited. On his way home from a summer job, Bonnet noticed a couple arguing about money. The woman appeared to be afraid.
“The guy was screaming at her, the girl. He wasn’t really gentle with her, and I started watching, because I thought he would hit her, so I approached them a little bit,” Bonnet said
After asking Bonnet for money, the three went to a convenience store to get change. The young woman managed a few seconds of secretive conversation with Bonnet, during which she requested help. Bonnet began to formulate a plan. He informed the couple that he lived in their destination, Laval, Quebec, even though he actually lives in Montreal. This allowed him to ride on the bus and the Metro with the couple after he paid for their tickets.
“My plan was to keep them in a public place, where there’s a lot of people. I decided to make myself friendly with the man, so he would trust me. So I played my game,”
During the ride, Bonnet pretended to befriend the male, managing to calm the situation some. Once in Laval, Bonnet offered to purchase a meal for the couple at Tim Horton’s, even giving the man $50 for food.
His cell phone had a dead battery, so Bonnet borrowed a phone from another customer and secretly made a call to 911 for help. He returned to the couple and sat, calmly chatting while waiting for the police.
When the police arrived, Bonnet began to realize how his action that evening probably did save the life of that young lady. As the facts unraveled, the police had been looking for the couple since earlier in the day, when the kidnapping originally occurred. Lt. Daniel Guerin of the Laval Police stated,
“We were looking for a 29-year-old woman who was kidnapped by her former boyfriend earlier that day, and we believed that man was very dangerous.”
The man had been previously convicted of violence against the young woman and was under a court order to stay away from her. The man was arrested on the spot and appeared in court on charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement and assault.
Local media covered the story, lauding Bonnet as a hero. He just wants to be a normal guy though, and thinks he just did what he had to do. The police took up a collection so they could return the money spent by Bonnet on tickets and food for the couple. Police would also like to nominate Bonnet for a provincial award for bravery.
“My mom is so proud of me,” said Bonnet. ‘She bought like eight Journals. She’s like, ‘I’m going to show them to your kids one day.’”
