A Montreal man is looking for answers after he says he was attacked with bear spray while attempting to sell an iPhone during a meetup organized through Facebook Marketplace.
Edward, who is withholding his last name for safety reasons, shared footage of the July 27 attack with CityNews after it was captured on a neighbour’s high-resolution surveillance camera.
The footage shows two men waiting on the sidewalk as Edward appears to leave his home and walk towards them. When they meet, Edward hands one of the men an item.
A few seconds later, the second man reaches behind him, then points and fires what appears to be a spray at Edward.
The pair then runs off towards a grey sedan parked nearby, with one man entering at the passenger side while the other sits behind the driver’s seat. A third suspect, the getaway driver, then drives away.
Edward tells CityNews that Montreal police has a case open on the theft, and that a detective informed him a warrant for the suspects’ information is in progress. However, Edward says he has not heard from investigators in more than a month.
He says he held back from releasing the video earlier to avoid interfering with the police investigation, but he now wants to raise awareness about what he describes as a growing issue in Montreal.
He hopes the surveillance footage will help warn others about safety risks linked to online buy-and-sell exchanges.
