The 78-year-old man, who miraculously survived an attempted murder in Laval at the end of January, is said to have been mixed up with the actual target of the attack, mobster Francesco Del Balso.
• Also read: Ontario man arrested and charged in connection with attempted murder in Laval
Laval Police announced Monday morning that they had arrested a 35-year-old Ontarian in connection with the crime, while confirming there had been an “error as to the person”.
Carlos Rafael Pena Torrez, who was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest, was being held at his home in Hamilton, a suburb of Toronto.
He appeared on charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm. He is expected to appear in court again on Wednesday for further trials.
The facts that Pena Torrez is accused of occurred on the morning of January 29 in the Auteuil district of Laval.
A 78-year-old man – whom we did not want to name for his safety – had just left to buy a few bottles of wine at a branch of SAQ on Boulevard des Laurentides.
When he returned to his vehicle, a car would have approached and Pena Torrez would have opened fire several times in the direction of the 70-year-old, under the eyes of many witnesses.
Miraculously, the elderly man was shot in only one leg. However, several firearm bullets hit the body of his vehicle.
The victim of this attempted murder was unknown to police and has no criminal record. According to authorities, he was mistaken for someone else.
According to our sources, the person who was really the target of this attack is none other than mobster Francesco Del Balso.
Moreover, this hypothesis was quickly considered by investigators barely three or four days after the event.
“In this case, one thing is for sure, there was very, very poor intelligence work on the part of the killers,” said a police counter-organized crime source.
How is it possible to mix up a 78 year old man and a 53 year old gangster? At the time of the crime, the victim of the attempted murder was driving an SUV similar to Del Balso’s.
Apart from the similarity of their vehicle, at first glance the two men had nothing in common.
This armed attack on Francesco Del Balso would have been the second time in a few weeks that someone had attempted to take his life.
decency
Francesco Del Balso
The gangster, known for his fiery personality, narrowly escaped death not far from his home last November when a gunman repeatedly opened fire in the direction of his car. Francesco Del Balso was unhurt.
In retaliation for that attempted murder, Del Balso would have ordered the armed attack aimed at eliminating Montreal Mafia co-boss Leonardo Rizzuto in Laval last March, according to police.
Rizzuto had been hit by two gunshots on Highway 440 but survived his injuries.
In the days following that devastating attack, Del Balso was arrested at Montreal-Trudeau Airport as he prepared to leave the country for Europe.
However, he is not currently facing charges for his alleged role in the attempted murder.
Francesco Del Balso has been told by police in recent weeks that a bounty has been placed on his head.
In recent years, Del Balso, a former lieutenant in the Montreal Mafia’s Sicilian clan, has strayed somewhat from the Rizzuto clan to get closer to the Hells Angels, with whom he had the most business ties, with some of its most influential members including Martin Robert and Stephane Plouffe.