Attacks on LGBTQ2+ people | “That’s when I knew it was an ambush”

Man Recounts Fateful Night He Fell Into Dating App Trap

The two ambushes targeting people from the LGBTQ2+ communities in Sherbrooke last August are far from the first to occur in Quebec. In June 2023, Greater Montreal was the scene of at least four such attacks.

It is 9:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16, 2023 when Jules (fictitious name) leaves for his date with a man named Alex. The two men met virtually a few days earlier on the app Grindr. They had already tried unsuccessfully to meet in a park in Châteauguay three days before.

When he arrives in Lachine, Jules is far from imagining that he is about to be the victim of a homophobic ambush.

“It was summer, the weather was good and I felt light-hearted,” he says. “I had a dateI was dressed, I was clean, I smelled good, I was well prepared, but not for an ambush.

Having barely parked near LaSalle Park, Jules quickly opens his phone to warn the man he has a date with that evening. Night has invaded the park’s paths and Jules sees no one.

So he asks Alex to come forward. The flashing of a phone light then emerges from a bush in a dark corner of the park. Jules immediately starts walking towards the one he still thinks is his date.

A silhouette, different from the one on the profile pictures Grindr, then emerges from the foliage smiling.

“When he came out of the bush and stepped into the light, all of a sudden, at least two people started hitting me from behind,” Jules said. “That’s when I realized it was an ambush.”

“They knew very well what they were doing”

The individuals then set about attacking Jules, hitting him repeatedly in the face and ribs while emptying his pockets.

“They knew very well what they were doing […]”They hit me and I fell to the ground, then they picked me up to hit me again and aimed at my face,” Jules said.

After finding himself on the ground for the umpteenth time, Jules seizes the opportunity to flee.

“I ran with all my strength, at first they were running after me, but they let go,” he explains. “I was running without knowing where I was going.” […]. I didn’t know if my attackers were going to corner me on another street corner, I was in shock.”

With a lacerated lower lip, bloody hands and torn trousers, Jules then managed to hide on a terrace not far from there while waiting for the police to arrive.

In the meantime, his attackers fled and “Alex’s” profile disappeared from the various platforms on which the two men had communicated for several days.

Invisible scars

To avoid “post-traumatic stress,” Jules returned to work the next day, despite his lack of sleep.

“I couldn’t sleep all night [qui a suivi]because I had images of my attacker every time I closed my eyes, I saw the smile of the one who had set the trap for me,” says Jules.

The following weeks were punctuated by panic attacks and nervousness about being the target of another attack.

“I felt stress and anxiety when I walked my dog ​​at night because I was afraid that someone would attack me from behind,” he explains. “It took me a few months before I date. They were dates to go have a coffee in a public place.

It was only four months later that the police managed to identify and arrest the individual who had set the trap for him.

The attacker, a 17-year-old young man, was living with his parents in a residence in Châteauguay at the time of his arrest. A profile far from the one on Grindr which mentioned that he was an adult.

“He and his friends set a trap for me for fun and ran away thinking they would get away with it,” Jules adds. “It was a big blow, no matter how much pain it would cause.”

The young man in question was reportedly tried last March. According to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), he pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery and received a 35-hour voluntary work sentence as well as 12 months of probation with a 9-month follow-up. He is also prohibited from possessing weapons for the next two years.

His accomplices have not yet been found and the investigation is still ongoing.

Three ambushes in three weeks in Châteauguay

Several kilometres away, the city of Châteauguay was also the site of ambushes targeting people from sexual and gender diversity.

Between June 5 and 21, 2023, the The Châteauguay Police Department has recorded three similar events in its territory.

Each time, the same scenario. Several suspects, including young men, set a trap for gay men aged 20 to 30 and beat them up. The various victims had all come to a public place thinking they would find a man they had met on Grindr.

In January 2024, the police investigation led to the arrest of a first suspect, Aylan Hammoutene. The 19-year-old man then appeared at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse where he was formally charged for the three events. distinct from robbery, disguise with criminal intent and harassment.

He was released on conditions and will have to appear in court again.

According to the community and media relations officer of the Châteauguay Police Department, Nadia Grondin, two to six other people were involved in the three separate events that occurred last summer.

Officer Nadia Grondin invites anyone who may have witnessed these events to come forward to the police.

Aware that such attacks exist, the company Grindr explains that it “responds and cooperates with law enforcement to assist them in their investigations into incidents.”

“As with any social network and dating platform, there are times when malicious actors may attempt to misuse its features, potentially putting users at risk,” a spokesperson for Grindr.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of hate crimes targeting sexual orientation increased by 69% in 2023 compared to the previous year.