Police are investigating a beating that took place Thursday evening at the corner of Van Horne Ave. and McEachran Ave. in Outremont.

Witnesses told police the attacker, a man in his twenties, was waiting outside the bank for the victim, a man in his twenties, to exit.

When the victim walked out around 7:15 p.m., the attacker stepped forward and punched the man.

"The victim received one blow and fell to the ground, and afterward some liquid was poured on him," said Constable Andre Leclerc. "The suspect then ran away on Van Horne going west."

Witnesses say the beating was quite severe and that the man attacked was an Orthodox Jew, but police say at this point there is nothing to suggest the man was attacked because of his religion.

"We still don't know the motive of this aggression. We still don't know exactly the purpose because no theft was done, nothing was stolen, apparently," said Leclerc.

Police dispatched sniffer dogs overnight in an effort to track down the male suspect.

The description of the suspect is vague -- a man in his twenties wearing light-coloured clothing. Police hope compiling information from the witnesses will lead to a better description.

The victim's condition worsened as he was transported to the Montreal General Hospital.

"At the beginning he was still conscious, but his condition got worse and he had be under sedation at the hospital," said Leclerc.

Aaron Schmelczer is with the Montreal Center for Health Care and he knows the victim and his family. He said the man's condition has improved -- as of Friday night, he was out of intensive care -- and describes him as a very quiet and nice guy. His family, Schmelczer said, is shaken by this act of violence.

“This individual that did this, for sure he has no heart,” he said.

With the attacker still on the loose, Schmelczer's organization has put up a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to his arrest.