 Rob Townsend, 43, of Newmarket, needed 20 staples in the top of his head to close a gash suffered Monday when he was attacked by a so-called squeegee kid in downtown Toronto. (Chris Doucette, QMI Agency)
|
NEWMARKET, Ont. - Parting his blood-soaked hair Wednesday, Rob Townsend exposed the 20 staples he needed to close the nasty gash he suffered during a frightening attack by a squeegee kid in downtown Toronto.
With talk of a beggar ban swirling among politicians at Queen's Park and City Hall, the 43-year-old was struggling to come to grips with the nightmare he endured on Monday afternoon.
"I'm all for it!" Townsend said of outlawing squeegee kids and panhandlers from Toronto's streets.
The Newmarket man said the reason he decided to go public with his tale is because he wants the politicians to know of the very real dangers motorists face as they drive through the city.
Townsend was stopped at a red light at Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave. when a man with a squeegee allegedly began washing his windshield without his permission.
"I asked him politely to stop, twice," he explained. "He told me to go f--- myself and he said, 'You people are all the same.'"
Townsend said he told the beggar to get away from his car. That's when things turned ugly.
He claimed the man swung his squeegee, spraying him in the face with dirty water through his vehicle's partially opened window.
Townsend alleged he tried to exit his car to confront the squeegee kid, but the man repeatedly "hip-checked" his car door to prevent him from getting out.
He finally managed to force his car door open.
"I was only part way out and this guy started wailing on me, hitting me in the neck and back with his squeegee," Townsend alleged.
When he finally was able to fully exit his car, Townsend said he looked up and saw the man swinging his squeegee full force at his head.
"I decked out the first one and managed to punch him once, but then he hit me several times on top of my head," Townsend alleged, adding doctors suspect he was hit with the sharp edge of the squeegee.
By the time the confrontation ended, Townsend was a bloody mess.
Jason Ortiz, 23, faces a charge of assault with a weapon in connection with the incident.
He remains in custody awaiting a court appearance at Old City Hall Friday, according to Toronto Police.
chris.doucette@sunmedia.ca
