WARNING: The video at the top of this story shows a brutal attack on a man. Some viewers may find the content disturbing.
Peel Regional Police say the three suspects wanted in connection with a “vicious assault” on a man with autism at the Square One bus terminal in Mississauga may be from British Columbia.
Since releasing a video showing the assault, officers said they have received numerous tips that have led them to ask for assistance in B.C. – specifically the lower mainland – in an effort to identify the perpetrators.
Police did not say whether any of the three suspects have ties to the GTA.
“We saw the video and we decided to release that video to the public and by doing that we generated a lot of information and now we have credible information that states that these three males who are responsible for this assault are from B.C, mainly the lower mainland area,” Const. Harinder Sohi said while speaking with CTV News Toronto on Monday.
“We are asking people out west to take a look at this video and help us identify these males.”
The video, made public by Peel police on March 14, shows a 29-year-old victim sitting on a staircase at the bus terminal at around 10:45 p.m. one day earlier. The man is seen possibly putting on or taking off a pair of rollerblades at the time.
As he is adjusting his shoes, a group of three males approach him and begin attacking him on the stairwell. The three males begin punching and kicking the victim, who is seen trying to protect his face with his hands.
Police said the male victim was subsequently taken to a local hospital to be treated for a broken nose and cuts to his face. He later returned home from the hospital and officers said he was “doing well.”
“I can tell you that the victim is with his family and he is getting a lot of support,” Sohi said.
On Monday, Const. Iryna Yashnyk told CTV News police are hoping people in B.C. will take a close look at the video and hopefully identify at least one of the three suspects seen.
Yashnyk did not specify if the video has been shared with police in B.C.
The first suspect has a thin build, a dark short beard and straight black hair that police said “sits above the ears.” At the time, he was seen wearing a black T-shirt with a red Air Jordan logo and white lettering with black track pants and black shoes.
Police described the second suspect as being clean shaven with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a grey horizontal stripe across the chest and a grey vertical stripe along the hood with black track pants and black shoes.
The third suspect has a medium build and is unshaven, according to police. At the time, he was seen wearing a black hoodie with a Nike logo on the front and white lettering along the sleeves with black track pants and black shoes.
Investigators said they believe all three of the suspects left the bus terminal on an escalator before getting into a white vehicle.
Anyone with further information is asked to call Peel Regional Police at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
