Gargantua bar attack
| Gargantua bar attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | 45°32′28″N 73°35′56″W / 45.5411595°N 73.5988091°W Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Date | January 21, 1975 |
Attack type | Arson, shooting |
| Deaths | 13 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrators | Richard Blass |
The Gargantua bar attack was a shooting and arson-attack that occurred at the Gargantua, a nightclub bar located on 1369 rue Beaubien Est in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on January 21, 1975, killing 13 individuals, including the manager. The Gargantua, which had been known for being a meeting place for underworld figures, was previously the scene of a double-shooting killing of two criminals in October 1974.
During the attack, the Gargantua's manager, believed to having been a witness to the preceding shooting, was shot and killed. The remaining 12 individuals succumbed to asphyxiation after being herded into a padlocked closet shortly before the establishment was set on fire. Three days following the attack, criminal Richard Blass, the primary suspect, was shot and killed by police.