B.C. warrant issued for Chinatown security guard assault suspect
Posted September 9, 2022 11:58 am.
Last Updated September 9, 2022 11:59 am.
Vancouver police have issued a B.C.-wide warrant for a 44-year-old man accused in the assault of a long-time Chinatown security guard this summer, after he failed to show up for court.
On Aug. 12, police say Harold Johnson was making his rounds near East Pender and Columbia streets when a stranger attacked him. Bystanders tried to intervene and called 9-1-1 but the suspect escaped before officers arrived.
Vancouver police say a B.C.-wide warrant has been issued for 44-year-old Kevin Aaron Hibbard after he failed to show up for court. He is accused in the assault of a Chinatown security guard in August. (Courtesy VPD)
A suspect, Kevin Aaron Hibbard, was later found, arrested, and charged with assault.
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Police say he was due in court on Thursday, Sept. 8, but didn’t show. The VPD is now asking anyone who may have information on his whereabouts to get in touch.
The August incident left Johnson “traumatized,” with the 64-year-old saying he “just wanted to give up” working.
A GoFundMe page was launched by the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society of Vancouver for the security guard, with more than $20,000 raised as of the morning of Sept. 9.
According to the society, the goal of the fundraiser is to help show Johnson “gratitude and appreciation for his 20 years of dedication and commitment to the Chinatown community.”
Anyone with information about Hibbard is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477.
-With files from Andrew Cowie
