A resident of the Woodside neighbourhood in the north west area of the city is lucky not to have suffered any injuries after he was attacked outside his home on Feb. 12 at 6:20 a.m., according to Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis. He said the man, who is in his 30s or 40s, came out of his residence and had just started his vehicle when he saw another man near his car. Thinking it was a neighbour, he got out to say hello. “The individual attempted to spray him in the face with pepper spray but the owner of the vehicle was wearing glasses so it didn’t affect him,” Curtis said. “Then the individual struck him twice with a hammer. The victim was able to give him a push to get him back and then the man ran off.”
Curtis said officers attempted to find the suspect and completed a search of the neighbourhood but were not successful in apprehending the suspect. The RCMP Forensic Identification Section is assisting local RCMP with the investigation.
“I believe that the suspect may have dropped a clothing item so they’re going to see what they can do with that,” Curtis said.
The victim and witnesses were able to provide RCMP with a description of the suspect. RCMP describe him as Caucasian, 5’8” to 5’9” with a slight build and a scruffy beard of a few day’s growth. He was wearing a brown winter coat with the hood up, winter work boots and multi-coloured gloves. According to Curtis, these kinds of attacks are not something the RCMP in Airdrie deal with very often.
“This is very out of the ordinary for Airdrie. It’s very, very rare that we see seemingly random violent attacks especially first thing in the morning,” he said. “There were numerous witnesses.” RCMP is hoping someone in the community may be able to provide more information about the suspect or the incident. Curtis said anyone with information is asked to contact the local RCMP detachment.
