Man charged after Jewish father attacked in Montreal; accused to undergo psych evaluation

A 23-year-old suspect was charged with assault and will undergo a psychological assessment after a Jewish father was beaten in Montreal in front of his kids.

A young man accused of beating a father in front of his children in Montreal last week will undergo a psychological evaluation after being charged this week.

Montreal police arrested 23-year-old Sergio Yanes Preciado of Montreal on Monday following the Aug. 8 attack. Part of the incident was captured on video, which showed a suspect repeatedly punching a man on the ground as young children stand nearby. The suspect then appears to throw the victim’s kippa to the ground before leaving.

Preciado was formally charged Tuesday with one count of assault causing bodily harm under section 267 of the Criminal Code.

The Crown prosecutor objected to his release from custody and requested he be evaluated to determine whether the accused understands the charges against him.

Michael Morena, a legal aid lawyer designated by the court to represent Preciado, said his client will be evaluated “to see to make sure that he is fit to stand trial. That is, that he understands what’s going on and to see if there are any mental health issues that could be influencing the file and that should be explored more in detail through the progress of the case.”

The attack on the father, who is Jewish, was widely condemned by members of Montreal’s Jewish community, who called it an “unprovoked” and “horrific crime” that has left them shaken.

Neither Montreal police nor the prosecution were able to definitely say what the motive behind the attack was.

The person who posted the video on social media was Mayer Feig, a spokesperson for Montreal’s Hasidic community. He told CTV News on Monday that the person who originally filmed the video was a Muslim woman, who shared the recording with the victim.

“She would like to remain anonymous but the victim wants to relay his appreciation for her sharing the video so [it] could have been shared and ultimately apprehend the suspect, who committed this horrible crime,” Feig said in an interview.

“I think as a community we should appreciate that, you know what, we might have differences, when something happened it was recorded and was able to be shared with the world, so we can see what happened.”

Still, members of the city’s Jewish community can’t shake the impression that the attack was a hate crime.

Police say the victim has been released from hospital with serious facial injuries that are not life-threatening.

Meanwhile, the accused is expected back in court on Wednesday.

Other leaders also denounced the attack, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, and Quebec Premier François Legault.

On Monday, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, also reacted to the attack, saying in a post on X that he is “concerned about the rise of antisemitism against the Jewish community in Canada.”

He called on the Canadian government to not tolerate antisemitism, adding that he has extended an invitation to the father and his family to visit Israel.