Police in Owen Sound, Ont. are requesting the public’s assistance identifying three suspects wanted in connection with a serious assault that has left a local business owner fighting for his life in hospital.
Shortly after 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 17, police say the 44-year-old owner of a downtown Owen Sound restaurant was assaulted by three males who had dined at the establishment that evening.
Police say the businesses owner, identified as Sharif Rahman, was trying to close the restaurant and asked the three males to settle their bill before Rahman and his nephew were attacked outside.
“The assault occurred on the sidewalk area near the business known as The Curry House. The victim sustained serious injuries and remains in critical condition in a London Health Sciences hospital,” said Owen Sound police in a press release.
“The males fled the area, two of which ran southbound on 2nd Avenue East toward the intersection at 9th Street and continued eastbound on 9th Street East.”
Police released security images of two of the suspects. The first is described as a white male, 5’10”- 6’2” tall, with a medium build, short dark hair, wearing a light blue t-shirt, black shorts and black running shoes.
The second is described by police as a white male, 5’10”- 6’2” tall, with a medium build, short brown hair, wearing an orange t-shirt, black shorts and black running shoes. Both are believed to be in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, police say.
The third suspect was not captured by security cameras, but is described by police as a white male in his late forties to mid-fifties, with curly hair, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
Images of a suspect vehicle, which police say is similar to a grey or blue 2000’s model Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute, have also been released.
Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Owen Sound Wednesday night in support of Rahman and his family, who moved to Ontario from Bangladesh in 2015.
A makeshift memorial filled with flowers in front of The Curry House restaurant continues to grow, along with financial donations to a GoFundMe campaign, which had raised more than $124,000 at the time of publication.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact the Owen Sound Police Service, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
With files from CTV News Barrie’s Kim Phillips.