In what has formed another debacle in the populace, Joti Singh Mann, a real estate agent and media personality in Brampton, Ont. was recently attacked in broad daylight in his own driveway by three men, two of whom appeared to be wielding an axe and a machete.
Harping on the development, Peel police said the ugly incident happened at around 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 4 in the area of Hurontario Street and Mayfield Road.
According to a video obtained by newsmen, the victim is seen approaching his white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, as he is getting settled in the driver’s seat, he is approached by an axe-wielding suspect and slams the door shut.
The video shows the suspect swinging his weapon in full force at the driver-side window—breaking the glass on impact and removing the window completely on the second swing.
As Singh Mann opens the door, two other suspects enter the frame, one of whom is armed with what appears to be a machete.
It could also be seen in the video that the three armed men, dressed in black and wearing masks, severely attacked their victim while they pull him out of his vehicle.
In the video, Mann attempted to escape his attackers by running behind the vehicle, where he was caught and attacked for another 30 seconds before a woman, who has since been identified as Mann’s mother, exited the home to intervene.
The moment the suspects fled, Mann’s mother can be seen running to her son, who is not seen for the remainder of the video.
Mann is a well-known real estate agent in Brampton and frequently appears on his own podcast in which he discusses ongoing issues in India.
Brampton Councillor Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, while speaking with newsmen, said he has visited Mann in hospital and that his injuries include an amputated big toe, the loss of mobility in one of his hands, and that he has received upwards of 25 stitches.
Singh Dhillon said “A lot of people are questioning the safety in this city,” adding that this is the third attack on a Punjabi media personality in Brampton in the last year. Mann’s mother told newsmen that her son had received a threat while he was recording a recent episode of his podcast.
“A lot of people are also questioning the freedom of the media to report and do their commentary. So we’re looking forward to getting more information from police as they do their investigation.”
In a chat with newsmen, investigators said the incident was targeted and not related to a carjacking, but that the motive behind the attack is not known at this time.
As of the time of filing this report, no arrests have been made.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, while stating that ‘this was clearly attempted murder,’ praised Mann’s mother’s bravery and condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
He said “The courage of the mother to face these criminals—this was clearly attempted murder”.
“She showed incredible courage and her heroic actions probably saved her son’s life.”
The Mayor averred that he is in communication with Peel police and that they have “very strong leads” on the suspects involved.
Brown underscored freedom of the press and reiterated that no one should feel intimidated for sharing their ideas. He added that “Whatever topics this podcaster was speaking about, the notion that someone could try through violence to silence them is criminal behavior that can never be tolerated”.
