Restaurateur who may face mischief charges after being rescued from hole denies jumping in

A man who fell into a construction pit in front of his restaurant on St-Denis Street in Montreal, Canada, has video proof that he didn't jump into the hole, as Montreal police alleged.





On Wednesday, Kun Mou, the owner of the Wok N' Roll restaurant, fell more than two metres into the hole, just steps from his restaurant's entrance. Before Mou could be rescued, firefighters had to cut off electricity to the area to protect him from live wires and check gas lines to make sure they weren't compromised. The rescue took more than an hour.



Mou escaped with minor injuries, however, police are considering charging him with mischief for jumping into the hole on purpose to protest against the street work blocking Wok N' Roll. That's a charge he and wife Jin Xu deny vehemently. "He says, no, he was walking upstairs," said Xu.





The couple acknowledges that the ongoing work to repair underground electrical wiring has caused tension between them, construction workers and the City of Montreal. They've taken a series of photos and videos since the start of the work to demonstrate the lack of access to the restaurant. Mou and his wife say they have also asked for thicker plywood to cover the area where work is being done. "The board is very thin. Anyone can have an accident," said Xu. The couple says nobody is listening.

You can watch the video of Mr Mou's descent into the hole here.