Intervene, Or Ignore?

It's such a civilized world we live in. Particularly in a country like Canada. Where on a lovely autumn evening people wishing to take in a little recreational exercise and fresh air can hop on their bicycles and tool around the neighbourhoods where they live. One 57-year-old man living in Gatineau across the Ottawa River from the country's national capital did just that last week, in Aylmer.

As he was bicycling along with his wife, they passed by a local supermarket. It was evening, the store was closed for the night. Large cartons carrying pumpkins were left outside the supermarket, too cumbersome to repeatedly haul into the interior at night, left there in the open. These containers full of pumpkins are a common sight this time of year outside most supermarkets.

He happened to notice two young men hanging about, and witnessed them plucking a pumpkin out of a container to make off with it. He called out to them, bringing them up short, asking them to replace the pumpkin, put it back where it belonged. He was acting the good citizen; having witnessed an illegal act, he stepped in as a responsible adult chiding two teens.

They weren't having any of it and instead of returning the pumpkin to the place from whence they had picked it up, they turned on the man and attacked him. One in particular beat him mercilessly, leaving him in a coma, before fleeing the scene. The man was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was listed in critical but stable condition.

Two days after the assault police arrested a 19-year-old Pontiac man, charging him with assault causing bodily harm. Then the young man was released following a promise to appear in court at the appointed time. Charges are set to be upgraded from assault to a more serious one.

Fully one week following the attack, the 57-year-old man died as a result of his injuries, never having regained consciousness.

Intervene in future, or ignore?