Local police is investigating an attack by three armed people on a Punjabi media host in his own driveway in a suburb of Toronto.
The graphic video of the assault went viral in Canada, as the victim was identified as Joti Mann, a radio host and real estate agent residing in the town of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
The incident occurred on August 4, at about 8:15am, but Mann was formally identified by Peel Regional Police on Wednesday as the victim.
The incident was captured by a security camera at the front entrance of Mann’s home. The video, approximately two minutes in duration, shows the sudden appearance of a person wielding a small axe as Mann exits his house and heads towards his jeep . The assailant then breaks the window of Mann’s vehicle with the weapon and is joined by two others, holding what seem like machetes. They drag him out and beat him.
A woman rushes out of the house and towards them, causing them to flee from the scene, ending the assault. The woman was identified by local media as Mann’s mother and earned praise for her courage.
Mann is the host of a radio show and runs Fateh Media and works as a realtor. Police have said that he remains in hospital, though in a stable condition. CTV News said police believe Mann was the victim of a “targeted attack” not an attempted carjacking.
No motive was provided and police are attempting to identify and locate the three suspects, who are seen in the video dressed in black clothes and all are masked.
This isn’t the first time a Punjabi media personality has been attacked in Brampton this year. In February, Deepak Punj, host of Frontline Radio, was accosted by three young men while he was preparing to enter the building housing his studio. One of the as yet unidentified assailants was armed with a handgun, while another hit Punj on the head with an empty beer bottle and punched him. There has been no update on the police investigation into that case.
