Man in Hill incident charged in unrelated attack

Ottawa police say no charges will be laid against a 24-year-old man in an incident involving a Ceremonial Guard on Parliament Hill on Monday — but he does face charges in an attack on another man in the south end on Sunday.

Police originally said Jesse Mooney was arrested and charged with assault and breach of probation following an incident Monday morning on the lawn of Parliament Hill during the changing of the guard parade, a popular tourist attraction.

Mooney was arrested by the Parliamentary Protective Service and RCMP late Monday morning and handed over to city police for an investigation.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa police said that while charges against Mooney had been pending, they were not formally laid at court after more information emerged during the police investigation.

Few details were made public about the incident on Parliament Hill.

A “potential threat was identified and neutralized” through quick action by soldiers and RCMP and PPS officers, a Defence Department official said. No one was injured and PPS clarified that early reports from military officials that the suspect was armed with a knife were inaccurate.

“Reports of an individual carrying a knife during the incident are inaccurate,” the service tweeted Monday afternoon.

“A small pocket knife was discovered in proximity to the subject following the arrest.”

However, Mooney was charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and failing to comply with a probation order after a man took an unprovoked swing at another man on Bridle Path Drive on Sunday.

Patrol officers responded at about 7:20 a.m. after a 32-yearold man was hurt in the altercation with a man known to him. The pair had gotten into an argument on a walking path off Bridle Path Drive near Trappers Way. The suspect allegedly punched the victim and fled the area, police said.

The victim noticed his hand was cut and called 911 “when he realized the male hit him with a knife,” police said.

Paramedics assessed the injuries and took him to the hospital. Officers didn’t find the suspect in the area but they did have a description and a photo, police said.

Mooney appeared in court Tuesday via video link from the Ottawa jail. He seemed highly agitated and kept talking loudly over Ontario Court Justice Matthew Webber.

“All I want to do is speak to a doctor,” he told court.

Mooney also said he needs his medication, not psychiatry, blamed his deteriorating health on “the system,” and fired his lawyer Jonathan Boss during the brief appearance.

He will remain in jail until he can see a court-appointed psychiatrist later this week.

Reports of an individual carrying a knife during the incident are inaccurate.