Police seek more victims as man charged with mugging seniors
Montreal police are asking for the public’s help while they seek other potential victims of a man charged with mugging four elderly victims on the West Island in recent weeks.
Mario Conti, 62, of Pointe Claire, is scheduled to have a bail hearing at the Montreal courthouse on Tuesday. He faces a total of six charges following his arrest at his home near John Rennie High School on March 19.
That day, an 81-year-old woman was walking to her car parked on Remembrance St. in Lachine when a man approached her, grabbed her arm and tried to steal her purse. The woman screamed and the man ran away before jumping into a car. A witness noted the car’s licence plate number, which led to Conti’s arrest. According to a Montreal police spokesperson, investigators noticed similarities to three similar unsolved cases, including the mugging of an 87-year-old woman that occurred in Pointe-Claire just a few days before.
When Conti was arrested, police found identification cards connected to the previous muggings, including one that took place at Plaza Pointe-Claire and another near the intersection of Douglas Shand Ave. and St-Jean Blvd. Both locations are within a short walking distance of Conti’s home.
None of the victims was injured but, according to police, the mugger threatened at least three of them.
At the time of his arrest, Conti was out on a conditional release he received in 2014 after he was charged with carrying out a series of similar crimes in Ahuntsic. He is charged with using a fake firearm to carry out four robberies in the 2014 cases. According to court records, Conti’s trial in those cases is scheduled to begin April 18.
Conti is five-foot-10 and weighs 225 pounds. He speaks English and drives a red 2009 Nissan Sentra.