A 24-year-old Halifax man is facing charges after he allegedly attacked a homeless man in a park Wednesday afternoon.
Police received several 911 calls around 3 p.m. that a man in Victoria Park, located at the corner of Spring Garden Road and South Park Street, was being assaulted.
Witnesses told police that a man had repeatedly punched a 61-year-old man as he sat on a bench in the park.
Police say there was an exchange of words between the two men and the suspect made disparaging comments about the alleged victim’s living conditions.
Police say the homeless man sat defenseless while the suspect allegedly attacked him, until a bystander stepped in.
“The suspect punched the individual several times in the face,” says Const. Pierre Bourdages. “The assault went on until a bystander interfered and stopped the assault from happening.”
The suspect then fled on foot. Officers located him a short distance away.
Police say he refused to comply with officer’s commands and was forcibly arrested after a short struggle.
The victim sustained facial injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics.
The suspect is facing charges of assault, causing a disturbance, resisting arrest and two breaches of court orders.
He was released from custody and is due to appear in Halifax provincial court at a later date.
Investigators say there is no indication the suspect was impaired by drugs or alcohol. They also say the two men don’t know each other, and are calling the incident a random, unprovoked assault.
“It’s very disturbing. We have someone there who was simply sitting on the bench and was randomly attacked by this individual,” says Bourdages.
The head of Shelter Nova Scotia says he isn’t surprised by the incident. Don Spicer says people experiencing homelessness are more vulnerable, and those living in the elements are more exposed.
“Some people, when I talk to our clients, they don’t really see them as human beings,” says Spicer. “So it’s easier when it’s dehumanized…it’s easier to commit a crime against someone.”
This isn’t the first time a homeless person has been attacked in Nova Scotia.
Last October, the body of Harley Lawrence was found in a burned-out bus shelter in Berwick, N.S. Lawrence had been living on the streets of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley and his death was ruled a homicide.
Two men were charged with first-degree murder in his death.
Spicer says, if there is a message to be learned from these incidents, it’s that homeless people are human beings and deserve respect, just like everyone else.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster
