Brutal early-morning assault has victim living in fear it will happen again
Give seniors the right to arm themselves, says hotdog vendor attacked downtown
Terry Scanlon, a downtown Ottawa fixture, is calling for the right of vulnerable seniors to arm themselves against any assailants after he was seemingly randomly attacked by a man who “had no mercy.”
Scanlon, 72, has operated a hotdog cart at the corner of Bank Street and Laurier Avenue for 35 years. On the morning of Feb. 16, he was in his car in a loading zone near Bank and Gloucester streets, waiting for his yoga studio to open. From the loading zone, he can see when the lights at the studio go on.
It was 6:45 a.m. — Scanlon is usually downtown by 4 a.m. to beat the vehicle and pedestrian traffic so he can set up the cart — when a man he describes as Caucasian, at least 250 pounds, between 25 and 35 years old, with black boots and a black knapsack, started yelling at him from outside the car.
“He was calling ‘goof, goof, goof,’ yelling and screaming,” Scanlon said. “When I got out of the car to see what his problem was, he attacked me.
“He threw me right on the ground and then stomped all over me. I mean boots and fists and knees,” Scanlon said. “He punched me in the face, he stomped on my face, he kicked me several times.”
The man didn’t say anything during the beating, and neither did any of the bystanders across the street.
Scanlon didn’t have his cellphone — he shares it with his adult son — at the time. And no one who witnessed the attack called 911 for him, he said.
He was left with a sore hip and a black eye that is healing, but his vision remains blurry and there were cuts around his nose and cheek.
Scanlon said the only reason his injuries weren’t more intense is because he’s been doing yoga six days a week.
“I managed to build up the body to have the strength to endure punishment, but any ordinary 72-yearold would’ve been dead by now.”
However, he has been left with an overwhelming fear.
“Is this going to happen again? Is this guy coming back tomorrow? Or what? Like, I’m really afraid to go into the public now.”
Working downtown for decades has brought with it some “instances” of trouble, he said, but nothing ever as bad as this. He has, however, previously voiced his concerns about being an open target for drunk downtown revellers and ruffians.
“Because of (this) dreadful experience, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to have to do something else.’ ”
After reading about 81-year-old Maria Desousa, who police allege was beaten to death by her son and his girlfriend at his Orléans home, Scanlon starting looking up charter rights and seeing what he could do to protect himself.
“But as far as I’m concerned the state can only give me the security of a 911 call, and when you’re on the ground being beaten by somebody, it’s difficult to call 911. By the time they respond, by the time they get here and everything else like that, I could be dead.
“So I’m saying to myself that I should be able to have some sort of technical device that’s going to prevent people from attacking me when I’m in the public trying to make a living.
“I’m anti-gun violence. I don’t believe in guns, I don’t believe in anything like that, but I do believe at this age a senior should be able to have something that they can defend themselves with and it should be accepted by the authorities, that this is a permitted thing to have for my own security.”
Scanlon said he’s appealing to the public for any suggestions for something that’s “going to stop a person but not kill them or paralyze them.
“I’m not looking at a stun gun or a zap gun but something a little more technology-oriented that can stop this kind of thing.”
But he admits he’s scared because he could also be charged.
“If I have any kind of weapon on me, whether a knife or a stick, bar, anything, I could get in trouble for it. So I’m very hesitant about having some kind of protection that’s not legal.”
Ottawa police are investigating the assault, which Scanlon reported the next day, but they are also warning those in Scanlon’s position to be wary about the false security that arming themselves could bring.
Any weapon that someone may choose to carry, especially if that person is carrying the weapon to make up for diminished strength, is subject to weapons laws, of course, but also could be taken away from them and used by an attacker, police say.
Sgt. Linda Leung of the elderabuse unit, which investigates when elderly people are allegedly harmed by those in a position of authority, urged anyone who may feel unsafe — regardless of age or gender — to follow their instincts, be aware of their surroundings, avoid situations that make them feel especially unsafe and try to mitigate the circumstances. Try walking with a friend if you feel vulnerable alone or taking alternate routes that are more populated, Leung said.
“There is never a safeguard that you will be completely protected,” Leung said. “You don’t want to give anybody that false sense that they’ve done these things and therefore they are safe and invincible. It’s never a guarantee, ever, in any situation.”
Police also say that once someone has been the victim of a crime, there are supports in place to help them cope with what may seem like ever-present fear.
The Ottawa police have a victims crisis unit that has counsellors who can try to help, and police urge victims of crime to use those services.
I do believe at this age a senior should be able to have something that they can defend themselves with.