Police appeal to assault victims

Information sought after 4 attacks on members of LGBTQ community

Ottawa police want the victims of four “serious” physical attacks against members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or questioning) community over the last five weeks to come forward, including one who was choked last Friday.

Insp. John McGetrick, co-chair of a police-community liaison committee, said coming forward to police with information doesn’t mean charges will be laid.

The committee is focused on community-based crime prevention, he said.

“We want to make it clear to them that coming to talk to us doesn’t mean they are committed to anything,” McGetrick said.

Gary Leger, the community cochair for the committee, said three of the four attacks happened early in the morning in the Village area near Centretown Pub on Somerset Street West.

All three victims were men and, in two of the cases, they were attacked by one woman and two men.

The victim of the latest attack, on Feb. 27, reported being choked by a man on Somerset Street near Bronson Avenue in the early morning hours, said Leger, who was asked by the victim not to disclose his or her gender or other details.

“If they are connected, it’s very worrisome,” Leger said. “It’s worrisome regardless.”

On Thursday, Leger was told about two more incidents involving members of the LGBTQ community in the By Ward Market. On two separate occasions, victims were verbally attacked by people yelling homophobic slurs.

The attacks prompted the committee to post a warning on its Facebook page last Saturday.

The Facebook post said the committee “strongly” urges witnesses to go to the police with any information they have about the attacks.

The committee also suggested using caution when walking home late at night and to report any suspicious activity to police.