Man suffers serious injuries in assault at concert

A night out turned into a nightmare for a concert-goer and his girlfriend when he was violently attacked by strangers, leading to numerous injuries. The victim and his family are asking any potential eyewitnesses to come forward with information that might assist a Kingston Police investigation into the incident.

According to the victim and his family, who have asked to remain anonymous for the time being, the assault took place at the Glorious Sons concert at the Leon’s Centre in Kingston, on the night of Friday, Apr. 15, 2022, around 10:45-11 p.m. The victim was in the men’s washroom on the 2nd floor between sections 112 and 113 when one or more individuals, unknown to the victim, attacked him.

“All he remembers is going to the bathroom,” said the victim’s girlfriend in an interview. “And there were a couple of rowdy guys, but he has no idea what happened, just suddenly finding himself on the floor. It could have been one or two guys… and then he stumbled out of the bathroom and started looking for me.” Paramedics onsite for the concert spotted the victim and gave him first aid, and called for an ambulance.

The victim was taken to the emergency room at Kingston General Hospital, where he received further assessment and treatment for his injuries. “They did scans at the hospital; he broke his hand, and he’s got some broken bones in his face, mostly in his cheek,” said the victim’s girlfriend. “The back of his head was pretty gashed open, and he’s got about five or six stitches in there.”

He also suffered a concussion, and his right eye is badly bruised, she said. “He’s in quite a bit of pain, and he’s having a hard time seeing out of his one eye from the swelling and everything,” his girlfriend noted. “Overall, he’s okay, he’s just really beat up… He’s in a lot of pain — he’s definitely concussed.”

Once the victim’s immediate health needs were stabilized, the couple agreed that the incident required an investigation by Kingston Police, with help from the Leon’s Centre. “We reached out to the Leon’s Centre… about footage,” the victim noted. “They said of course there wouldn’t be cameras in the bathrooms, but there are cameras outside, so you would be able to see people going in and out of the bathroom. We passed that along to the police officer that we spoke to. He said… that that was our next step, to work on getting footage from the Leon’s Centre.”

The victim and his family also noted that they’ve appreciated the help that they’ve gotten from Kingston Police in these initial stages of reporting and investigation. “The Kingston Police have been really great. [The officer we spoke to] was really understanding that [the victim’s] memory would be very foggy right now.”

The couple is hopeful that they will receive additional assistance from the Leon’s Centre. “We are hoping for some footage so that we can at least try to identify somebody,” said the victim’s girlfriend.

She was upset that there seemed to be a lack of help or attention from any bystanders. “It boggles my mind that nobody called for help, there was no security – I don’t know what happened. This was near the end of the concert and the washrooms were packed. It’s frustrating.” She’s hopeful that people who didn’t intervene then will at least come forward to assist after the fact. “This wasn’t just a ‘bar fight’ or a ‘push-and-shove’ — this was a brutal and random attack with unnecessary force. I think we just want a little bit of justice.”

Any witnesses to the attack are encouraged to contact Kingston Police with information.