Man says attacker dragged him out of wheelchair and tried to break his limbs
Dan Zakreski | CBC News | Posted: July 24, 2017 4:35 PM | Last Updated: July 24, 2017
Robert Carignan says attacker kept repeating, 'you're going to die'
Robert Carignan says the last thing he remembers before passing out is his attacker positioning his head against the concrete curb on Spadina Crescent in Saskatoon and getting ready to jump.
He said the man had already done the same thing with Carignan's legs and arms.
"He said he wanted to kill me, that today was the day I was going to die," he said in an interview.
Justin James Crowe, 25, appeared in court today charged with attempted murder, uttering threats and breaching a court order. Carignan, 57, is in hospital with a broken jaw, fractured skull and serious damage to his legs and arms. He said that he knows he's lucky to be alive.
"He knew what he was doing, he positioned me over the side of the curb and then would jump on my knees and then jumped on my elbows and then dragged my head there and put my head on the incline to the curb," he said.
It happened in the space of a few minutes just after 7:30 a.m. CST Sunday. Carignan was in his motorized wheelchair, taking his beagle Molly for her daily walk on the boardwalk along Spadina Crescent.
"I heard this kid coming up the street behind me, he was kind of yelling, I didn't pay him much mind but I could hear him back there kind of making a commotion," he said.
"Then he gets across the street and sees me and he comes running over as fast as he could and he knocks me out of the chair and then he said to me, 'Today is the day you're going to die.'"
Police were able to chase down the suspect and make the arrest.
Carignan was taken to hospital in critical condition. His dog Molly is in the care of friends.
In a news release this morning, police said the attack was random and the two men did not know each other.