“You, Arab, steal a scooter from me”: a garbage collector is beaten by a former legionnaire, while collecting in Castries

The scavenger was hit because he had the misfortune of moving a scooter which was obstructing the passage. Midi Libre – Illustrative photo

The attack took place this Monday, June 10, around 9:30 a.m. The victim escaped with a broken ring finger. Among others…

Forty-five days off work! This is what the surgeon who operated on his right hand has just announced to a garbage collector from Urbaser environment, beaten up by a scooter rider while he was in the middle of collecting household waste.

The attack took place this Monday, June 10, around 9:30 a.m. in the town of Castries, north-east of Montpellier. "I’stopped my truck in front of a building. The two riggers got off. The first entered the box where the containers are located while the second took care of moving a scooter which was on the ground and which was obstructing the passage", reports Jérôme Belhaj , driver within this company specializing in the collection of household waste.

And then, suddenly, he put a big peach on my right eye

It was at that moment that an individual came out of nowhere and attacked, verbally at first, then physically the scrounger who had gotten the & quot;unfortunate" to touch his electric scooter, to which a chain and a helmet were attached. "He arrived in a fury, telling me: "You, Arab, steal my scooter",< em> with a strong accent from Eastern countries. He said that to me several times, while getting closer to me."

"For my part, I just told him that I had moved his scooter because it was in my way and obstructing the passage of the trash containers. Besides, if I moved her a meter, between us, it’s the end of the world. And then, suddenly, he put a big peach on my right eye…"

I felt a crack in my hand and finger

The scooter rider, who did not seem to be in his normal state, then jumped on him and made him fall to the ground, before punching him numerous times on the head.

"It was when I fell to the ground that I felt a crack in my hand and my finger. I screamed in pain especially as he was also crushing my private parts. It must be said that I only weigh 65 kg and he weighs more than 100 kg. Fortunately, my colleagues intervened and separated us", confides this young forty-year-old still in shock.

A former legionnaire and a notorious alcoholic

We would be less so because, in the end, he came away with bruises on his face, knees and elbows. A black eye with blurred vision on the right side. A swollen cheekbone. An open brow bone. And, above all, a fracture of his ring finger which required him to have three braces fitted.

"When the municipal police arrived, they told me that they knew this weirdo. That it was a former legionnaire and a notorious alcoholic. Then the firefighters arrived. My hand had tripled in size."

Deposited at Odysseum

"They took me in their ambulance but eventually dropped me off at the tram stop "Place de France" to Odysseum, telling me that it was not a life-threatening emergency and that they had other interventions to manage. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Fortunately, a friend came to pick me up and took me to the Saint-Roch polyclinic."

Since then, he has filed a complaint with the Saint-Jean-de-Védas gendarmerie and is waiting to be seen by the forensic doctor for assessment of his state of health.

Investigation in progress

The procedure was transmitted to the autonomous territorial brigade of Castries which is responsible for the investigation and which is now only awaiting the total incapacity for work of the victim to summon the accused.

An attack that "strongly condemns" Abdelkader Cherif, CGT union representative at Urbaser Environnement. According to the victim, her management, who assured her of their full support, should also file a complaint. Just as much as the Metropolis.

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