An assault in Cambridge has turned into a police search for three men linked to the crime.
On June 11, Llyod Leroux awoke a woman sleeping on his doorstep and what happened next is something he never expected.
“It's not that uncommon in this area to see somebody sleeping,” said Leroux. “That's why I just approached thinking, this is just another person and I’ll send them on their way and It'll all be good.”
After waking the woman, she immediately started attacking Leroux and the two ended up in the street.
Cars drove by as Leroux yelled for someone to call the police. Then a vehicle stopped and three men start approaching him, he thought he is finally getting some help.
“I think I’m finally getting some backup,” he said. “I told them that it was dealt with, she was sleeping on my stairs.”
That was all he could say before one of the men started punching him. Then another joined in and started kicking Leroux as he laid on the ground.
“My stomach's been in knots since it happened because of what was said right at the very end of the altercation,” said Leroux.
One of the men threatened Leroux and said he knew where he lived and that he’d be back.
Over the few days since the incident, Leroux has been reluctant to walk around the neighbourhood he’s lived in for over 20 years.
“No joke, instead of walking two doors down to get some milk for my coffee, I drove five kilometres to another store,” said Leroux.
He has refused to press charges against the woman, saying that her being charged wouldn’t solve anything.
“When someone is so down on their luck, what use is throwing some charges at them,” he said.
Leroux has been empathetic with the woman and trying to understand where she was coming from when she attacked him.
“I don't know her mindset, but when I woke her, the first thing that she had was rage. It's a strange man waking her up, it was like a fight or flight moment,” Leroux said.
Having lived in the Kerr and Beverly area for over 20 years, Leroux was known for standing out on the path that runs from Soper park to downtown Galt, handing out new socks to those in need.
“It makes their frickin' day,” he said. “I'll see them walking up the path and, and one of my famous lines is, I seen you coming, but I didn't have time to bake a cake. Kill them with kindness is my motto.”
Despite everything that has happened, he doesn’t want his situation to paint the picture that if you try to help someone who is sleeping or unconscious you might be attacked.
“Don't be mean, acknowledge them, don't ignore them. So many people pretend they're not there. Well, guess what? They're there and they could use our help,” said Leroux.
Outreach workers were reluctant to comment on the situation and declined to give tips or advice on what to do in a situation where someone is found asleep or unconscious on the street or your property.
The Region of Waterloo recommends calling 9-1-1 in situations where there are signs someone may have overdosed. Naloxone kits are available at various pharmacies and city-run recreation centres.
The first sign of an overdose is a person being unresponsive to attempts to wake them up.
Anyone reluctant to make an attempt to wake someone up in that situation for fear of injury should call 9-1-1 immediately.
Police did not respond to requests for comment on what to do in that situation.
Even though Leroux is not looking to press charges against the woman, he wants the three men who attacked him to be brought to justice.
He said the van they were driving had a big dent on the side and were wearing bright orange shirts.
“If you find that van you find the man,” he said. “I just want those three charged.”
Police are still investigating the incident and are looking to identify the three men.
Leroux doesn’t want this to happen to anyone again, and calls for more services for mental health and people experiencing homelessness.
“I know the community would like to see an end to all this,” he said. “Maybe offer a little bit more mental health assistance and housing and this problem might not be as bad.”
Anyone who witnessed this incident or has information or video footage in connection to this incident is asked to contact police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
