Devon Fraser, who lost a tooth during the attack, says that he's seen fewer police patrols since construction work started on Elgin Street

At least one resident along Elgin Street has noticed a decrease in police presence, since construction work began in the area, especially after he was attacked just outside his own front door.

Devon Fraser, 26, was walking home from work around 2 a.m. on Friday when he spotted some men about to fight.

Fraser tells 1310 NEWS he shouted at the men, in an attempt to get them to stop and that's when the tables turned and he became the target of their rage.

"Instead of getting into a fight with each other, [they] decided to instead chase me down," Fraser explained. "I tried to run upstairs to my apartment but they caught me on the steps and I ended up on the ground. They started punching and kicking me in the face."

Fraser ended up with some cuts and bruises, a fat lip and he is now missing a tooth.

One man is facing assault charges.

Fraser tells 1310 NEWS that he has lived on Elgin Street since 2012 and feels it's generally a safe area.

"Sometimes on the Friday or Saturday night, late in the evening, people can get a little bit rowdy but that's not really been an issue."

But, Fraser feels that things have changed since construction work began.

"The cops have stopped patrolling Elgin since they started doing the construction and that has in the last year, lead to a lot more people being... you know just kind of out and about."

He said it's not uncommon for people to cause damage to the construction fences set up along Elgin Street -- Fraser explained it's something he sees happen every weekend.

The 26-year-old said he'd like to see more officers patrolling, especially late night, to act as a deterrent.

While he said he still loves his neighbourhood, the attack has changed his perception and he's worried about the safety of vulnerable people.

1310 NEWS has contacted the Ottawa Police regarding the number of officers patrolling the area before construction began and the current patrols, but have been told that information would not be available until sometime next week.

Meanwhile, Fraser said he now has to figure out how to pay for the missing tooth as he doesn't have insurance to cover the $3,500 cost.



