Woman in her 50s dead following assault at Mississauga plaza

A woman in her 50s has died after being assaulted at a plaza in Mississauga, Ont. A man in his 50s was later arrested after a brief foot pursuit, police say.

A woman in her 50s is dead following an assault at a plaza in Mississauga on Friday night.

Peel police said they got a call just before 8 p.m. for reports of an assault with a weapon at 1310 Dundas Street East, west of Dixie Road.

“On arrival, they located a woman suffering from severe traumatic injuries, who has since died as a result of those injuries at a local hospital,” Peel police media relations officer Const. Tyler Bell told reporters.

He said the victim’s identity has not been confirmed, as police are still trying to locate the next of kin.

Meanwhile, a man in his 50s was later arrested after a brief foot chase involving officers and passersby, Bell said, noting that there are no other outstanding suspects.

“We believe this to be isolated to the individuals involved. What perpetuated the altercation between the two is unknown at this point, and our Homicide Bureau is taking care of that investigation, trying to ascertain the motive,” Bell said.

Asked whether the suspect knew the victim, the constable said they had “background knowledge” of each other, but it is unknown to what extent.

Bell confirmed that officers located a weapon at the scene.

“So the initial call that came into police was that a female had been assaulted using a weapon of sorts. Whether that be a club or a pole or a bat, we don’t know,” he said.

“The weapon is on scene. It’s been recovered and being analyzed for forensics.”

Bell urged anyone who was at the plaza at the time of the incident and saw a man and a woman arguing to contact the police.

“It does not appear to be random,” he said. “Again, what perpetuated the attack on this poor woman, we don’t know. Anyone with information, we’re asked to please contact our homicide investigators, or you can do so anonymously via Crime Stoppers.”