Strange string of vandalism rattles manager of city surgery centre

A troubling cellphone message left for the manager of a Regina surgical centre marked the start of a series of bizarre vandalism incidents, leaving him worried for his safety and that of his employees.

On June 16, William Abajian, who oversees Omni Surgery and Anti-Aging Centre, received a blocked phone call from a man who identified himself only as Leroy in British Columbia. The caller stated he was a Christian and concerned after a Saskatchewan woman attending a Bible study group at his home mentioned Abajian while talking about “demons and spiritual things.”

“She point-blank said that you were a homosexual and that somebody was going to try and do something crazy to you. It bothered me when this was brought up last night,” the man said in the message, obtained by the Leader-Post.

“With that information, I was a little nervous,” Abajian said, adding he has not heard back from the caller.

Abajian reported the call to police, but it was only the start of the strange incidents.

Abajian was frantic after feces was dumped all over his vehicle, parked in an east-end residential area on the evening of June 21.

On July 2, all Omni centre’s outside locks were jammed by toothpicks and couldn’t be opened until a locksmith removed the items.

The building of the chief financial officer, who is contracted by the company and works off-site, was the next target.

On July 4, feces was smeared all over the door panes of a downtown building where the CFO works, and a bag of feces was left, Abajian said.

The morning of July 7, vandals struck the business again.

“Someone put nails in all of the locks so you couldn’t put your key in, so I called the locksmith again,” Abajian said. “I was really frustrated with the situation. I spoke to the same police officers as those who came the night of the feces (incident).”

Abajian has reported each incident to police, but no charges have been laid.

When asked if he suspects anyone behind the vandalism, Abajian responded: “There have been some people who have not wanted us to succeed.”

His father, Bill Abajian, lives in New Jersey. He had owned Omni Surgery and sold it in March to EastGate Biotech, an Ontariobased pharmaceutical company in which he is a passive investor. Omni Surgery offers plastic, orthopedic and general surgical procedures.

“As soon as I saw this occurring, I became very hands-on,” said Abajian senior.

He is incensed by the string of vandalism targeted at the business and, frustrated by what he believes is a lack of action on the case, called a Regina Police Service watch commander on July 3.

“I said to him: ‘Your town is lawless. The police are not doing their job. They are not investigating . I don’t know what you can do, but ... the fact of the matter is that someone is going to get hurt here,’ ” Abajian said.

He alleges the phone message his son received was a hate crime and contends William is in danger.

Security cameras have been installed outside OMNI Surgery, and Abajian has taken other safety precautions to protect his son.

Regina police spokesman Les Parker confirmed a number of incidents at Omni have been reported to police.

“I can understand their frustration because this is pretty bad stuff that has happened to them,” he said.

Parker urged the public to contact police if they saw any suspicious activity around Omni.

“We don’t have enough evidence to lay a charge, or a charge would be laid,” he said. “This is an active investigation. It has not been abandoned by any means ... We don’t have a description to go on other than the location.”

The younger Abajian’s work is done in Regina, and he plans to leave the city soon. But he’s leaving worried.

“At the end of the day, I’m concerned about the safety of my employees,” he said. “They’re trying to scare staff.”