Woman still recovering from alleged attack by ‘The Puncher’

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They call this accused attacker ‘The Puncher’ because of his alleged tendency to hit unsuspecting victims over the head with his fist as they walk by and are at their most vulnerable.

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Two of his alleged victims this time were women and one was a man. A brain hemorrhage can result from a blunt shot to the skull or from a skull smashing the sidewalk beneath it. You don’t stand a chance if you get a sucker punched.

“I went down hard,” remembers Mary, an alleged victim of The Puncher. “I didn’t know what hit me or what happened, but I just fell on the sidewalk.”

In this case he was called The Puncher, but there are many punchers. And many victims. As we’ve reported, these sucker puncher victims sometimes die.

Former CBC producer Michael Finlay is an example.

The surprise punchout, often thrown by someone under the influence of substances or suffering from mental health issues, is not new to the city streets. These types of crimes occur in every corner of the city.

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Mary’s attack is alleged to have occurred on February 23 at approximately 6:00 PM on the west sidewalk on Spadina Ave. between Queen and Richmond Sts.

She was heading north after running some errands. The alleged puncher was heading south. After doing some shopping and lugging some bags, Mary was defenseless.

“He hit me in my sleep,” she said. “It was so difficult that I saw black. I was knocked unconscious by the sucker punch.”

Mary was not the first alleged victim of a rampage allegedly perpetrated by The Puncher, nor was she his last alleged victim. The alleged first victim was a man no one knows much about. People say they saw him get punched and then never saw him again. The other alleged victim was a 29-year-old single mother.

And of course Mary, who says she’s lucky to be alive.

“He left me there for dead,” she said.

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Mary says the blow to her skull made her see stars.

Others say they saw the path of destruction left by the three alleged attacks in a one-block area.

Officers from the 14th Division arrested a suspect at the corner of King St. W. and Spadina Ave. and charged him with two counts of assault. If they find the man who was allegedly hit, police could file a third charge.

“I hope he’s doing well,” Mary said.

Mary said she wasn’t doing well.

“I fainted on the tram later,” she said. “I went to the hospital and had CT scans and MRIs and they diagnosed me with a severe concussion.”

Mary said she hasn’t felt well since and it took months for her to feel semi-normal – and she is still paralyzed with fear.

For example, Mary was scheduled to meet both myself and photographer Jack Boland in Clarence Square Park as we covered a press conference on Wednesday about the three-year-old homeless camp.

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“I’m frozen and can’t go there,” she said. “I’m afraid I’m going to see him there.”

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Mary said she has a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, where she wonders if her alleged attacker could harm her again. In calling for a full review of this case, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said it is important that police do not let these cases fall into bureaucratic holes, leaving victims feeling lost or alone.

But justice is not swift.

Tyler Michael Warcholyk, 37, of no fixed address, faces two charges of assault.

The allegations have not been tested in court and he is innocent until proven guilty. All courtesies are extended to a person in court as these cases must be proven beyond reasonable doubt

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Meanwhile, Mary said she has been given no courtesies or justice.

“I may now lose my place to live because I haven’t been able to work,” she said. “The damage really affected me. I was in a fog.”

It has thrown her life into limbo.

“I don’t even know if he’ll go to trial,” Mary said. “I haven’t heard from anyone about witnesses.”

Her hero and witness, Sarah, said no one has contacted her about testifying either.

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The Toronto Sun has learned that the problem is that the suspect has been issued an arrest warrant because he would not have appeared in court in this case. This makes things very awkward for his alleged victims who know he is out there somewhere. It is a cold reality for victims or alleged victims of violence.

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“My dear friend deserves some form of justice and in Canada it seems like the only way is through the media (since) Canada’s injustice system is so broken,” said Cait Alexander, founder of EVE (End Violence Everywhere).

She would know.

Boland and I told a similar story to Mary’s in April at King and George Sts. where a woman named Andrea was beaten in a similar manner while running.

“I went flying,” she said. “He hit me so hard… I saw black for a few seconds.”

Her attacker was not caught.

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There are so many emotionally unstable and violent people on the streets – suffering from mental illness or addiction – who are high or out of control that neither the police nor the courts can keep track of them all.

At Wednesday’s news conference at the camp, a woman we spoke to — who was too afraid to give her name or have her picture taken — said she had been attacked twice by both a man and a woman.

She also called one of her attackers The Puncher.

“This man has hit over a hundred people,” she claimed.

And this reportedly includes police officers, TTC employees, city workers, social workers, joggers and dog walkers. No one is suggesting that this is all the same puncher. But the damage caused by the alleged attacks is similar.

“There are a lot of punchers there,” said the victim, who lives near Clarence Square Park.

And reportedly many innocent victims.

Mary said she will certainly never forget her Puncher and the damage he caused her.

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