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Moncton photographer speaks out after violent downtown attack

A celebration in downtown Moncton that took a violent turn has led photographer Maurice Henri to warn his fellow citizens the city is changing.

The 61-year-old was standing at the corner of Highfield and Main streets last Thursday at about 7 p.m. as crowds of people celebrated National Acadian Day, while others headed for the Cirque du Soleil performance at the downtown events centre.

Henri said he was "just hanging out," trying to get some stock shots of the Avenir Centre, when a stranger approached and demanded he hand over the camera hanging around his neck.

"It's a $3,500 camera, so I just looked at him and said, 'Ah, no, I don't think so — not today,'" Henri told Information Morning Moncton on Monday

Our city is growing, things are changing, and we need to watch ourselves and be aware of our surroundings ... we don't know who's lurking next to us. - Maurice Henri

"His eyes just became very weird, he was hopped up on something, and he just said, 'I'm going to effing kill you,' and he just jumped, and the fight was on."

Henri said the man grabbed the camera that was still around his neck with one hand and started punching him with the other.

"I'm not a fighter. I don't fight — but defensive mode came in, so I had to start hitting back."

'No way he is getting away with this'

The scuffle continued down Main Street, through crowds of people, for half a block, with Henri and his attacker both screaming.

"All the time he's yelling, 'I'm going to effing kill you, I'm going to kill you and all that stuff, and I was screaming to people."

Henri remembers looking directly at one man who had a cellphone in his hand and begging him for help.

"He was less than two metres from me … and I looked him right in the eye, and I just screamed, 'Call 911, I'm being attacked,' and I said it twice. He just looked at me and kept on going."

With no one stepping forward to help, Henri realized he was "on his own" and eventually broke free from the man and called 911 himself.

As soon as he contacted police, the attacker bolted, but Henri said he wasn't about to let him get away and started to chase him through the downtown.

"I know that's not the right thing to do. I wasn't thinking straight. But in my mind I was saying, 'I want this guy in jail … there's no way he is getting away with this.'"

Vanessa Blanch/CBC
Vanessa Blanch/CBC

Eventually, police did show up and arrested the man.

RCMP have confirmed that an assault on Main Street was reported shortly before 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 15.

"A 55-year-old man was arrested and released to appear in court at a later date," Cpl. Jullie Rogers-March wrote in an email.

City is changing

Henri decided to share his story because he is afraid of what could happen to someone who wasn't able to fight back.

I'm really afraid that somebody's going to get hurt a lot worse than me, and hopefully not killed. He wanted a camera to sell — maybe to buy some drugs, I don't know. - Maurice Henri

"Our city is growing, things are changing and we need to watch ourselves and be aware of our surroundings … we don't know who's lurking next to us."

He doesn't want people to be afraid, but rather aware. He also wants people to step in and call for help if they see someone in trouble.

"What if this person would have attacked somebody that was older than me, like an older woman, for an example, that is not going to fight back. What happens there? What would have happened if he would have attacked a couple of young kids?"

Henri, who is five feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds, said he doesn't think his attacker expected him to fight back. In retrospect, had he known what was going to happen, he would have handed over his camera.

"I'm really afraid that somebody's going to get hurt a lot worse than me, and hopefully not killed," he said. "He wanted a camera to sell — maybe to buy some drugs, I don't know."

Wounds are healing

Since sharing what happened on social media, Henri has been touched by hundreds of messages of support from people throughout the city.

He said he is struggling with the pain from the attack, which has been both physical and psychological.

I can't stop thinking about it. That's the thing, I can't stop thinking about it. And even at night, especially in the middle of the night, I wake up. - Maurice Henri

"I just went in my own corner at home, sat on my La-Z-Boy, popped a bunch of Tylenols and just trying to deal with it," he said of how he is coping.

"I can't stop thinking about it. That's the thing, I can't stop thinking about it. And even at night, especially in the middle of the night, I wake up."

Henri, through his work as a photographer, has helped many people to deal with their trauma through art and said he will now turn to some of the professionals he has met over the years for support.

Knowing there are so many people who care, Henri said, has changed the dynamic of what happened.

"I don't think he attacked me. He just attacked someone. But it was not personal. But all the people who are reaching out to me are personal. And that, I think, heals all those wounds and those aches and pains."

Henri hopes he will be back to his "old self" in another week, walking the streets of Moncton with his cameras.

"I don't want this to stop me from doing what I'm doing. I think that would be a worse injury."