(Laval) A man in his thirties was arrested by Laval police in connection with an attempted murder that occurred in January in the Vimont district. The suspect allegedly shot by mistake in the direction of a septuagenarian in a public place in broad daylight. The person targeted was in fact the mafioso Francesco Del Balso, according to our information.
Carlos Pena Torrez, 36, faces charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm.
He is suspected of shooting a 77-year-old man on January 29. According to our information, it was in fact the mafioso Francesco Del Balso who was targeted that day. There would have been a mistake about the person, explain our sources. A 77-year-old man had then received a projectile from a firearm.
The injured man was taken to hospital to treat his injuries. He went to the branch of the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) on boulevard des Laurentides.
As he was leaving the scene, he was hit by several projectiles from a firearm fired from a moving vehicle from which the suspect allegedly fired before fleeing. He was then in a busy parking lot.
Investigators later identified the suspect, a resident of Hamilton, Ontario. A Canada-wide arrest warrant was then issued against him. “The victim is not known to the police community and the investigation confirms the thesis of the error on the person”, adds the police force in a press release.
Del Balso targeted
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Francesco Del Balso, in 2006.
This arrest comes a few days after that of a second suspect in the case of the attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto. The youngest son of late Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto was shot on March 15 while driving alone on the highway.
Authorities believe the attempted murder of Rizzuto may have been ordered by Francesco Del Balso, a former lieutenant of the Sicilian clan now more associated with the group of Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe, two influential Hells Angels from the Montreal section.
The mafioso’s residence had also been raided as part of a major drug trafficking investigation in March in relation to the attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto.
Del Balso had been arrested at Montreal-Trudeau airport the day before. He would have intended to go to Italy, a country for which he would have obtained a plane ticket, one way only, according to our information.
Carlos Pena Torrez remains detained following his arrest. The rest of the legal proceedings are scheduled for May 10.
Anyone who has information about Carlos Pena Torrez can communicate confidentially on the Info-Police Line at 450 662-INFO (4636) or dial 911 and mention file LVL-230 129-029.
With Daniel Renaud