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Woman attacked near John Abbott
Montreal man, 21, faces charges
Karen Seidman
The Gazette
Thursday, November 19, 2009
John Abbott College. (Gazette file photo)
A 21-year-old man from Montreal was arrested after a young woman was found semi-conscious on the sidewalk on Lakeshore Rd. near John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue last week.
The woman, 20, had been knocked down and strangled while she was on the phone with her boyfriend. She is from Greenfield Park and a student at Dawson College, according to Station 1 community relations officer, Roberto Del Papa.
The woman was standing at the corner of Maple Ave. at about 11 p.m. last Friday, chatting on her cell phone with her boyfriend. A man approached her and interrupted her to ask if she had “smokes.” She said no and turned away.
The suspect then attacked her from behind, while she was still on the phone. He hit her in the face and then tried to strangle her with his hands when she was on the ground.
Her boyfriend heard that something was going on and called 911.
The police arrived soon after and found her lying, semi-conscious, on the ground, with a cut on her head.
She was able to give a description of her attacker, having remembered in particular his baggy jeans and shaved head covered by a woolen cap.
Police broadcast the description of the suspect and a police car from Station 5, which was on St. Antoine St. in Lachine, saw a man who fit the description.
They stopped the man, discovered a box-cutter with blood on it in his possession, and arrested him. The reason for the attack is not known.
Del Papa said the suspect will be charged with armed aggression.
Since the student wasn’t from John Abbott, communications officer Debbie Cribb said the college wouldn’t comment on the attack, other than to say the campus always has a general safety awareness campaign going on.