Information on Mental Health Act
Charges have now been laid against a man in connection with yesterday’s stabbing of a 71 year old man in the 400 block West Hastings Street and police are confirming that the accused has had previous mental health interactions with the VPD.
Thirty year old Mohamed Amer has been charged with one count each of attempted murder and obstructing a peace officer. He was scheduled to appear in court today and has been remanded into custody.
Amer, who is known to police for both violence and property-related crimes across Canada, is also currently the subject of a limited radius warrant for breach of probation by the Ottawa Police in relation to an uttering threats conviction.
Mohamed Amer was apprehended under s.28 of the Mental Health Act twice on February 21st, once shortly after midnight and once in the mid-afternoon, as a result of two incidents in which officers felt that Amer met the criteria for apprehension. As is required under s.28 of the Mental Health Act, in both cases Amer was delivered immediately to a local hospital for a mental health assessment and admitted into the care of a physician.
As the matter is before the courts, no further details of the apprehensions are available for release and the VPD is unable to speak to the reasons for Amer’s release by a physician in both cases.
The victim remains in hospital in critical, but stable, condition.
