Fatal assault at the Orange Julep: a father tried to calm enraged young people

The 50-year-old father who died following a totally gratuitous assault last week in the parking lot of the mythical Gibeau Orange Julep, in Montreal, was simply trying to calm enraged young people behind the wheel when he was attacked.

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Andrei Petuhov was returning from work and was with two of his colleagues when their vehicle was cut off by a car on Décarie Boulevard, near the exit for Jean-Talon Street. Disturbed by the situation, the professional parquet floorer made a sign to the driver to show him his dissatisfaction.

The workers then headed into the parking lot of the nearby McDonald’s, as the occupants of the reckless car came to rest at the Gibeau Orange Julep. The two restaurants are a few meters from each other and separated by rue Paré.

Once out of the vehicle, Mr. Petuhov and his colleagues heard the young men shouting insults at them.

“Andrei decided to cross to see them, explains André Couture, for whom the victim worked as a subcontractor. He wasn’t going to fight, he wanted to talk to them, calm them down. »

Seizures

Soon the discussion became heated and Andrei Petuhov wisely decided to turn around and walk back to his colleagues across the street.

“But one of the guys gave him a big punch in the back of the head, explains Mr. Couture. He fell face down to the ground and convulsed. A real horror story. »

In the hours following the tragedy, the Laval resident was declared brain dead at the hospital. It wasn’t until a few days later that it was officially unplugged.

When the emergency services arrived, his attackers had already fled. But thanks in particular to one of the victim’s colleagues, who followed them running until he could memorize their license plate, the police were able to trace two of them the next day.

An arrest

So far, only Nedjem Eddine Khirat, 22, has been charged. He faces a charge of aggravated assault, but this may eventually be amended given the recent death of the victim. With no criminal history, he remains detained pending further legal proceedings. According to the police, it is not excluded that other arrests will be made soon.

The savage and gratuitous aggression of the father of two teenagers was reportedly filmed by the surveillance cameras of the famous orange-shaped restaurant in Côte-des-Neiges. The video would be particularly shocking, say our sources. This will certainly be filed as evidence in the event that there is a trial.

– with Nicolas Brasseur