Man stabbed in Vancouver stranger attack
Posted January 24, 2022 11:17 am.
Last Updated January 26, 2022 12:18 pm.
Editor’s Note: Vancouver Police have made an arrest in connection to this incident and the suspect has been charged.
Vancouver police are looking for the person responsible for an apparently random stabbing in the downtown area over the weekend.
In security footage shared by police, two men appear to exchange words inside the Tim Hortons at Harbour Centre near Seymour and W. Hastings streets.
The victim, who police say is a newcomer to Canada, was standing near the door and putting on a jacket when a man ran up from behind and repeatedly stabbed him before running out of the store.
Police say the victim was stabbed in the back and shoulder. His injuries were initially life-threatening, but he was treated in the hospital and is expected to survive.
Vancouver police say the incident has “all the hallmarks” of a random attack, adding it came without warning.
“We don’t know if there was a motive for this attack, and the fact that it appears random and unprovoked is extremely concerning,” said Sgt. Steve Addison. He says victim and suspect didn’t know each other and they aren’t believed to have had any “significant interactions” before the stabbing.
The disturbing incident happened just days after police went public about another stranger attack in the downtown area, which happened in front of Hotel Georgia on New Year’s Eve. In that case, a man grabbed a woman and pushed her into a potted plant, before knocking her into the exterior wall of the hotel and off her feet.
He then let her go and left the scene. The 22-year-old woman walked away after the incident.
Police say they haven’t ruled out a racial motivation to that attack.
Related article: Vancouver police go public with stranger attack, weeks after incident
The suspect in Saturday’s attack is described as in his 20s, about 6’2″ with short black hair and a slim build. He was wearing a grey hoodie with a black hood and sleeves, grey and black stone-washed jeans, and black running shoes with white soles. He was carrying a black and grey backpack, and was wearing a black and white facemask with a Crooks and Castles logo.
Anyone with information is asked to call the VPD’s Major Crime Section at 604-717-2541.
