Victim attacked driver: witness
Photo by Steven Der...
Fatal confrontation
A 25-year-old Mississauga man is facing charges after 28-year-old Ronald Persaud was killed Wednesday following an altercation outside a City Centre condominium.
A 25-year-old Mississauga man was charged with manslaughter after witnesses reported a pedestrian who was run down outside a City Centre condominium Wednesday night was trying to get away from his attacker.
Ronald Persaud, 28, of Mississauga, was pronounced dead at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, a few hours after he was struck by a vehicle at 5:15 p.m. outside a building at 225 Webb Dr.
Peel Regional Police confirm Persaud been involved in an altercation with another man before he was killed.
Paul Lopez said his father Hernan Lopez, who works in the condominium and speaks broken English, was an eye-witness to the incident and gave a statement to police. He told his son Persaud attacked the man, who fled to his car. But, Persaud punched the man again through an open driver's side window.
After the driver closed his window, Lopez said, Persaud positioned himself in front of the vehicle and starting banging on the car, trying to break the windshield. That's when the vehicle moved forward and ran over Persaud, Lopez said.
"My father was extremely traumatized by what happened," the younger Lopez said. "He was trying to comfort Ronald and told him to hold on and not to die before paramedics got there."
The driver then fled the scene, police said. Peel Police later found the car at the Cooksville GO station.
The force's Homicide squad became involved when police received information from witnesses that a fight preceded the crash and the two men knew each other.
Calling it an altercation "that unfortunately escalated," Peel Homicide Insp. Norm English wouldn't get into specifics about what sparked the fatal encounter, but said it had nothing to do with money, drugs or anything criminal. He said the victim and suspect were acquaintances.
Persaud was known to his friends as "Pinhead." On a Facebook page honouring his memory, friends referred to him as an "awesome guy," who will be sorely missed.
Mohammad Al-Kassem has been charged with manslaughter. He made a brief appearance in Brampton court this afternoon and was remanded in custody until Dec. 22.
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