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Bystanders ignored pleas as homeless man beaten

As a homeless man was being beaten by four young men, witnesses by the downtown strip mall where the unprovoked attack occurred simply looked on. None bothered to call 911.

Now the police are hoping for better from those who saw the 41-year-old man set upon without warning by attackers, who left their victim with injuries that include a broken nose, possible broken ribs and soft-tissue damage to his legs.

?We're not condemning them for not becoming involved at the time, but they can still help us to help him,? said Constable Steve Holmes in Kelowna, Canada.

He said he hope those witnesses have had time to consider what they saw a couple of days earlier, and ?let their consciences direct them to do the right thing.?

Those accounts are crucial to tracking down the four men, described by the victim as being under the age of 25. The victim had been looking for used bottles he could trade in for spare change.

Robbery does not appear to have been a motive. ?I don't know if he has anything to take,? Constable Holmes said. Instead, the motive may have been boredom. ?Worse things have happened in the name of entertainment,? he said.

Read The Globe and Mail report here.

Full post as published by the 13th juror on February 03, 2010 (boomark / email).