Random attack leaves neighbours feeling unsafe

Neighbours are pulling together for a man brutally attacked over the weekend in downtown Saskatoon.

Robert Carignan, 57, was left with a broken jaw, a fractured skull and multiple bruises after he was pulled off his motorized scooter and beaten near the corner of Spadina Crescent and 23rd Street Sunday morning.

Sophie Derveau lives in Carignan’s building.

She said she routinely walks her dog along the same stretch where Carignan was attacked.

“We are feeling quite insecure, because (the attack) happened during daylight,” she said.

Derveau said it was hard to believe anyone would harm Carignan, who she described as a kind man who she routinely chatted with when the two would cross paths while walking their dogs.

She said neighbours have begun signing a pair of get-well cards left in the building’s lobby, and she hoped Carignan would make a speedy recovery so he could be reunited with his pup, a beagle named Molly.

“I know that he went through a very tough moment and that he’s really attached to his dog – I’m quite sure he’s thinking a lot about his dog,” she said.

‘Isolated incident:’ police chief

Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill discussed the attack on Carignan during an interview Monday.

Addressing they city’s latest abysmal ranking in national crime statistics, he noted break-and-enters, vehicle thefts and armed robberies have been the big drivers of Saskatoon’s crime rate.

He said incidents where people are attacked are generally rare, and tend to follow a pattern.

“Usually, most of the violence occurs between either the gang activity or the drug activity,” he said.

Weighill said the random nature of the attack on Carignan was concerning, but didn’t point to a trend.

“This was a very isolated incident from what I’ve learned so far. Usually, in Saskatoon there aren’t very many real random acts where innocent people are picked on.”

Weighill urged people to remain vigilant when they are out and about — but said he hoped Sunday’s ugly incident wouldn’t cause anyone to abandon their regular activities.

“By and large, Saskatoon has a great quality of life. You’re free to walk downtown, you can walk along the riverbank. Compared to a lot of centres in Canada, our city is a very safe city.”

Justin James Crowe, 25, has been charged with attempted murder and uttering threats in connection to the attack on Carignan.