It was only a couple of weeks ago when George Wass, 62, died due to injuries he received after being beaten on the porch of his Parkdale boarding house. Wass was one victim of many in the area and after he suffered such horrible consequences, everyone hoped that would be the end of the Parkdale attacks. But a new incident, which occurred early Tuesday morning, shows that Parkdale is still a very scary place and one that is being targeted.
Dan Chiarelli, 45, was walking home to his boarding house on Maynard Avenue at about 3:00 a.m. after dropping his girlfriend off at the street car. Hearing someone run up behind him, Chiarelli turned around only to be met with a punch to the face. The attacker then continued to kick and punch Chiarelli fiercely for several minutes. It was only after someone from a nearby apartment building yelled at him to stop that the attacker fled.
Chiarelli is the sixth Parkdale victim to be attacked since January. All victims have lived in one of two boarding homes on Maynard Avenue and the first five were mental health patients. Chiarelli once worked as a mechanic but is currently unemployed and living off social assistance. He says that his attacker wore dark clothes and a scarf over his face; the attacker in the first beatings always wore a ski mask. Police believe that the same individual is responsible for all six beatings. Chiarelli says that the attack was “senseless” because the attacker didn’t say one word to him, nor did he even reach for Chiarelli’s wallet.
Police are definitely increasing patrols in the area, with both uniformed and plain-clothed policemen patrolling the area 24 hours a day. Still, residents of the area say it’s not enough and that the police presence needs to still be stepped up. “We’re not feeling secure,” said the owner of one of the boarding homes. “It’s quite paralyzing.”
Chiarelli also doesn’t think that the current police presence is enough to stop the attacks. He’s looking to move out of the area as soon as possible, and says that the day can’t come soon enough when he can leave Parkdale, an area of the city that is becoming incredibly dangerous.
