A woman has died after what police are calling an “extreme case of gratuitous violence” in downtown Montreal.

The attack happened at 12:20 a.m. Monday on St. Laurent Blvd. near Ste. Catherine St. shortly after a man was thrown out of two strip clubs for aggressive behaviour.

Witnesses say the man tried to punch several pedestrians before walking up to the woman as she was crossing the street and hitting her several times.

“He remained very aggressive toward the pedestrians, cyclists and even the cars that were going by on St. Laurent,” said Montreal police Const. Daniel Lacoursiere.

She collapsed to the ground where the man continued to hit her in the head, only stopping when a passersby intervened.

“Other people that saw the attack also, and went and talked to a police car that was nearby. So police came very quickly and were able to proceed in the arrest of the 38-year-old man,” said Lacoursiere.

The suspect in the attack will appear in court Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder and assault.

The woman was taken to hospital with severe injuries but doctors could not save her life. She died around 4 a.m.

People who saw the attack were shocked by its random and meaningless nature.

"It had no meaning," said Lacoursiere. "The woman was crossing the street very peacefully and he went up to her, hit her and as she fell down just kept hitting her for no reason."

Officers arrested the 38-year-old suspect soon after the assault. They say he has a criminal record, but would not disclose the nature of his past offences.

Lacoursiere said the earliest the suspect would appear in court would be Tuesday morning. The scene remained closed to traffic Monday morning as police continued their investigation.

At the nearby Midway Bar, owner Albert Auclair said he heard about the attack as he was closing.

Auclair said a doorman at the neighbouring Cleopatra strip club told him the suspect had tried to get in there but was turned away.

Auclair said drugs are a big problem in the area.

“Unfortunately there are a lot of crack heads; there's a lot of crack being sold in this area and after they consume crack a lot of these people go crazy, that sort of thing,” said Auclair.

They are also looking for anyone who may have had an encounter with the suspect before he was thrown out of the bar or people who witnessed the attack.

Police are asking for anyone in the area who may have shot video or taken photos of the attack to bring them to police. They are hoping to glean information from security cameras in the area.

Anyone with information is urged to call Info-Crime at 514- 393-1133.