Arrest made in patio assault investigation in St. Catharines

After an extensive investigation, the Niagara Regional Police arrested a man in connection to a violent assault that took place in July, at a St. Catharines restaurant patio that sent one patron to the hospital with serious injuries.

On Jul. 10 (2023) shortly before 9 p.m., police responded to a restaurant patio on St. Paul St. between James St. and Garden Pk. where they located a 60-year-old man suffering from serious injuries. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and since then, has been released.

According to police, a minor verbal disagreement took place between the victim and an unidentified suspect, which escalated, and the suspect repeatedly punched the seated victim, causing him to fall to the ground. The suspect then left the scene with a group of individuals he had been with.

Since the incident, investigators have released a timeline of events that led to the arrest of the suspect in question.

On Aug. 2, images of the suspect were released with an appeal for members of the public to assist with his identity.

On Aug. 24, images of three potential witnesses who were believed to have information related to the assault were released with an appeal for members of the public to assist with their identity.

On Saturday Sept. 9, Craig Donald Clement, 38, of St. Catharines, was charged with assault causing bodily harm.

Police say Clement was taken into custody and scheduled for a bail hearing via video link on Sept. 10 at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse, located at 59 Church Street in the City of St. Catharines.

The Niagara police extended their gratitude to the public for assisting in the case, and all the images of the suspect and witnesses have been removed from the departments social media accounts following the arrest.

Detectives continue to urge anyone with additional information to contact 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009450.