The month-long search for a suspect involved in a vicious attack in Chomedy has ended in an arrest.
Security footage taken outside a daycare July 9 shows an assailant running up from behind, and forcefully punching 46-year-old Artyim Nersisyan. The victim has been in and out of a coma since.
The 26-year-old suspect, Marc-Philippe Savard, was apprehended in Ahuntsic-Cartierville Thursday while parking a luxury SUV that had been reported stolen.
He was first questioned by Montreal Police (SPVM) before being handed over to the police force in Laval (SPL) for his arrest in the early evening.
The suspect was questioned more overnight and is expected to appear in court Friday.
As for the victim, the part-owner of the daycare is still in a coma, and has had brain surgery since the attack.
He is not known to police and his family has been co-operating with the investigation. Global News spoke to them earlier in the week. They were worried about possible motives for the attack.
“Day by day, it’s going good and bad. We still don’t know,” said a spokesperson for Nersisyan’s family, who wished to remain anonymous. “It could be that family members are in danger right now.”
Police were also tight-lipped about possible motives.
“Every angle is being looked at. If there’s another angle to be looked at, we will do that also. We can’t stop to a particular motive now,” said Laval police spokesperson Evelyne Boudreau on Wednesday.
Savard was arraigned in Laval on Friday and is expected to have a bail hearing Monday.
–with files from The Canadian Press