Toronto lawyer says he was attacked in the street for being Jewish

A Toronto-area real estate agent and lawyer has been left with lesions and bruises after he says he was attacked by a man who threatened to kill him while shouting that Jews were “baby killers committing genocide.”

Joseph Bitton was at a commercial property he owns in the Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue West area around noon on Tuesday, when a man allegedly began swinging a parking pylon at him.

“He said he was from Yemen and a Houthi,” Bitton, who wears a kippah, recalled hearing.

Bitton called 911 as soon as the attack began. “First thing I told her was I’m being attacked because I’m visibly Jewish, and this fellow is threatening to kill me!”

Bitton said the man attacked him with nearby garbage‑day trash and other debris – starting with a brick that hit his arm, then metal brackets and a tree branch.

“I dodged all the projectiles he was throwing at me, blocked him with my arms. I’ve got lesions and scratches on both arms,” said Bitton, whose injuries were documented by a doctor later that day.

“Some people are telling me I should have knocked the guy out. I said, ‘Absolutely not. Then I would be arrested, and he would go free, and I would be the bad guy.’ So I deliberately just stayed 10 or 15 feet away,” Bitton told National Post.

“I evaded him and blocked with my arms. And then he just kept, you know, with his obscenities.”

Bitton estimated the episode lasted roughly 35 minutes, including his pursuit of the man as he attempted to flee.

He followed the man from a distance of 10 to 15 feet as he boarded one bus, then attempted to escape through a rear door, crossed the street and got on another bus headed in the opposite direction.

Bitton said he alerted both bus drivers that police were on their way and asked them not to move until officers arrived.

“Nobody lifted a finger,” Bitton lamented. “There were dozens and dozens of witnesses at the bus stop, on the bus, at the other location across the street, at the original location. The only one single person that stepped out to help me was one retail tenant from the property that I manage, and he knows me. He came out when the guy was swinging this pylon, and tried to put distance between us and get the guy to stand down.”

According to Bitton, his attacker eventually moved into a laneway behind an automotive repair shop, throwing rocks and bricks, before police arrived. Bitton said eight officers cornered the suspect in a dead end, handcuffed him and placed him in a cruiser.

“When the police grabbed him,” Bitton said, “he kept saying ‘I didn’t do anything!’”

From footage from eight property surveillance cameras, police officers identified a suspect, he said. “They saw the guy doing everything, throwing the pylon at me, and swinging at me, and throwing things at me,” Bitton said.

Police charged Abdulkadir Al-Jelani, 58, of Toronto, with three counts of assault with a weapon and one count of uttering death threats. They are investigating the incident as a possible hate-motivated crime.

Police said Al‑Jelani had been scheduled to appear in court on July 1, but provided no updates at time of publication.

The Toronto Police Service said if a criminal offence, such as assault or mischief, is believed to have been motivated by bias, prejudice or hate, the officer in charge may consult with the Crown to seek sentencing that recognizes hate as an aggravating factor upon conviction.

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