Montreal police arrest minor for assaults on two Hasidic Jews in January

Montreal police have arrested a minor suspected of assaulting two Hasidic Jews on the night of Jan. 20.

The youth turned himself in on Thursday, police said in a news release, one day after the hate crimes unit asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

In a security video of the first attack, the suspect can be seen walking down a sidewalk in the city’s Outremont borough while a man dressed in clothing typical of the Hasidic community walks in the other direction on the road.

The suspect pauses before running between two parked cars and violently pushing the Hasidic man from behind.

The victim falls forward onto the road as the suspect runs away, joining a group of people further up the sidewalk, who also begin running.

Police said that around half an hour later, a few blocks away, the same suspect kicked another member of the Hasidic community in the back, knocking him to the ground.

Police said the suspect, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was released with conditions and is scheduled to be back in court May 5.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2023.