Elderly Member, John Newell, Assaulted

Hi folks,

I’m reaching out for retired IATSE 891 member, John Newell. John, who is 70 years old, was mercilessly beaten by two assailants half his age.

John, who is a widower, lives alone in an apartment building in Maple Ridge where the attack occurred. Drug use in the building’s basement stairwell has become a major issue with fentanyl addicts gathering there to do drugs. They urinate in the hallway, leave litter, and intimidate residents.

On the morning of December 11th he was off to play snooker at the Maple Ridge Senior Centre when he happened upon two addicts smoking fentanyl and tearing off tags from stolen merchandise in the stairwell to the underground parking lot. He confronted the two informing them they had to leave. At this point the violent attack began.

His snooker cue stick was snatched from his hands and used to bash him over the head with by the violent thugs. They knocked him to the ground, stole his wallet, and continued beating him. He managed to wrestle his way up the stairs and exited out of the building as he pleaded for them to stop. They ignored his pleas while shouting death threats. Once outside John tried to run away but they caught up to him, continued beating him with the pool cue, and shouted that they were going to kill him. They said they know where he lives and what he looks like and they will come back to get him as John was still attempting to flee. Finally they broke off the attack for a moment.

Battered and bleeding John had the wherewithal to take out his cell phone and attempt to video the attackers who had crossed the street. Unfortunately, they saw this chased him down, knocked him to the ground, stole his phone, and continued stomping and bashing his head and back. At this point a crowd of neighbours had gathered, the police arrived, and the attackers tried to escape. They were arrested a block away.

Miraculously, John survived the vicious attack although he sustained brutal injuries. His skull required 51 staples to close gaping wounds. Bones in fingers on both his hands were crushed and will require several surgeries to repair with dire prognoses of months of physiotherapy. His entire body is heavily battered and bruised from where he was beaten with the cue stick.

Sadly, it gets worse. The assailants have threatened John’s life and they know where he lives. The police have stated to John that they are underfunded and lack the manpower to do much to protect him and advised he move away from the area for his own safety.

I’m asking the film community and all decent law abiding citizen’s help to raise money for John. He is in his retirement years but was still working as a building caretaker to get by. He has to move out immediately for his own safety and try to find a new residence. It will take months for him to heal physically with no guarantee he will regain full motion in his fingers. He is traumatized by this horrible attack at the time believing he was going to be killed.

I have graphic photographs of John’s injuries which I can provide if people are interested in seeing the awful damage to his body. Let’s get John to safety! Thank you.