A 32-year-old man was arrested in the middle of the night from Thursday to Friday in Mascouche in connection with the attempted murder committed against Leonardo Rizzuto on March 15, in Laval.
Rizzuto, youngest son of late Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto, was shot and killed while alone in his Mercedes on Highway 440 West, near Highway 13, in the middle of peak around 4:30 p.m.
He was hit by two projectiles, and suffered leg and shoulder injuries.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) did not reveal the identity of the arrested suspect, but he could be charged with attempted murder later Friday.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
At least eight projectiles were fired at Leonardo Rizzuto’s vehicle on March 15.
“He is one of the individuals who would be directly involved in the attempted murder,” he told The Press an SQ policeman.
More arrests are expected. Police say individuals in two Porsche Macan SUVs, one red and the other black, were involved in the attack.
The first vehicle was seen near where Rizzuto was before the events, while it was from the other vehicle that the shots were fired at Leonardo Rizzuto, on the highway.
According to our information, before the attack, Leonardo Rizzuto would have been seated at the Rom Café, located on the boulevard des Laurentides, near the rue de Genève, and considered as one of the headquarters of the Sicilian clan of the Montreal mafia.
Investigators believe the attempted murder of Rizzuto may have been ordered by Francesco Del Balso, a former Sicilian clan lieutenant now more associated with the group of Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe, two influential Hells Angels from the Montreal chapter.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Francesco Del Balso during his arrest the morning of the RCMP’s Operation Colisée, November 22, 2006.
Del Balso himself escaped murder attempts last November and January in Laval, and the police believe that the attack on Leonardo Rizzuto could be a response to these events.
A week after the attack on Rizzuto, SQ investigators arrested Del Balso at Montreal-Trudeau airport as he was about to leave the country for Italy.
He was released pending further investigation, but his passport and cell phone were seized.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.