A man associated with street gangs was arrested Thursday night in Mascouche in connection with the attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto on March 15 in Laval. Kevin Rochebrun, 32, had already been sentenced to three years in prison in the past after the failed attack on Montreal mobster Marco Pizzi.
Rizzuto, youngest son of late Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto, was shot while alone in his Mercedes on Highway 440 West, near Highway 13, during rush hour , around 4:30 p.m.
He was hit by two projectiles, and suffered leg and shoulder injuries.
Kevin Rochebrun, arrested in connection with this attack, however, has not been charged. No appearance is scheduled at this time.
The 30-year-old linked to Montreal street gangs had already been arrested and convicted for the attack against the mafioso and alleged cocaine importer Marco Pizzi, which occurred in August 2016.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
At least eight projectiles were fired at Leonardo Rizzuto’s vehicle on March 15.
Kevin Rochebrun then hit Pizzi’s vehicle. The airbag in the attackers’ van had activated, leaving traces of blood in the car and allowing investigators to detect Rochebrun’s DNA. Pizzi had fled to a park where children were, escaping his assailants.
During a hearing before the Parole Board in 2018, Kevin Rochebrun admitted to having worked for two years for an illegal towing company and to having been involved in the theft of luxury cars. He had also mentioned that he liked weapons and collected them.
“Your criminality is early and persistent. Offenses of a violent nature and involving the possession of firearms are listed in your file,” the commissioners pointed out at that time, adding that Rochebrun had several links with organized crime individuals.
“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.