Police search for suspects after man with autism attacked

With the Hasty Market there slated for demolition, some worry about potential loss of grocery options

Hamilton police are looking for three suspects they allege assaulted a man who has autism.

In a release, police said officers responded shortly before noon on Feb. 4 to reports of an assault at a shopping plaza near Upper Gage Avenue and the Lincoln Alexander Parkway on the east Mountain.

Police said male victim, who is on the autism spectrum, was walking alone when he was randomly attacked from behind by three male suspects while a fourth person waited in a vehicle nearby.

During the attack, the victim was sprayed with a substance similar to “bear spray,” said police.

After the assault, all three suspects fled to the nearby vehicle and drove off.

The victim was treated for minor injuries, including from the substance that was sprayed.

Police are appealing to the public to help identify the suspects and track down the vehicle involved in the assault — a four-door, black Ford Fusion, believed to be a 2010 model, with winter tires on the front wheels and regular tires on the back.

The first suspect is described as a white man, between 16 and 25 years old, wearing a black coat with red inside the hood, a black knitted hat and black running shoes.

The second suspect is described as a white man, between 16 and 25 years old, wearing a grey hoodie, black pants and black and white running shoes.

The third suspect is described as a white man, between 16 and 25 years old, wearing a puffy black coat, a black baseball cap, baggy grey track pants and black and white running shoes. He was also wearing a backpack on his front, police said.

The third suspect is the one alleged to have sprayed the victim.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Tim Knapp at 905-546-2389 or Det. Sgt. Marco Delconte at 905546-3851.

To remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.

A developer plans to transform a “sea of parking” at Corktown Plaza into a 769-unit residential complex with retail offerings.

But local residents are concerned a grocery store will be left out of a mix that involves three buildings of 27 storeys, 14 storeys and eight storeys.

When the John Street South plaza is demolished, the local Hasty Market and coin laundry will go with it.

Noting Corktown is “barren” when it comes to grocery options, Coun. Jason Farr asked Slate Asset Management representatives Tuesday if they could commit to a “micro-grocery store.”

“It’s very difficult to commit to anything that’s five or six years out,” vice-president Steven Dejonckheere told the planning committee.

But they are “valuable amenities” for the community and the firm, Dejonckheere said.

Slate’s initial pitch in 2018 included two buildings — 34 and 31 storeys — and left room for a full-sized grocery store, which Corktown residents had identified as a priority.

But a reconfigured design after back-and-forth with city planning staff landed on three buildings and less retail space.

“I am very dependent on the grocery store in Corktown Plaza. Corktown is rather a food desert, with few grocery stores and not many affordable restaurants,” Rev. Terry Brown wrote in a letter to councillors.

Farr said the plaza isn’t “the prettiest block” in the downtown area, but many Corktown residents make use of it.

Stuart Hastings, a planning consultant working with Slate, said the project will result in a “more pedestrian-friendly” space than the “sea of parking” at the one-storey strip mall.

“The site right now is extremely automotive oriented,” Hastings said. “There’s nothing really about the site that addresses the pedestrian realm.”

The development will have about 930 square metres of commercial space that’s close to the street rather than separated by a big parking lot, he noted.

The plan calls for 462 underground parking spaces and 385 long-term bike spaces.

Residents will live by bus routes, the Hunter Street GO station and the bike lanes that lead up to it, Hastings noted.

The landscape envisions street trees, pedestrian pathways between buildings and rooftop amenities.

Bricks from two Victorian-era houses on the parking lot are to be incorporated into the future buildings.

“This is a much better utilization of a square block in the heart of downtown,” Farr said.

He and other councillors at the planning committee backed changes to the city’s official plan and zoning to allow the development to go ahead.

The decision awaits final approval at council next week.

The surrounding neighbourhood is a mix of housing types, including single-family homes and highrise apartments.

Other developers have plans for the area, too.

Spallacci & Sons Ltd. aims to build 773 units in towers of 22, 24 and 25 storeys on John Street South and St. Joseph’ s Drive. The Metro condo complex is to replace a five-storey apartment building on a sloping lot where John Street South meets Arkledun Avenue, which turns into the Jolly Cut.