Charge laid after mother attacked while breastfeeding baby in car in East Vancouver

The Vancouver Police Department says a charge has been laid after a mother and her four-month-old baby were allegedly attacked by a stranger along Commercial Drive Thursday afternoon.

The VPD says the 32-year-old woman was breastfeeding her son in the backseat of their parked car near East 2nd Avenue when a stranger opened the door and entered the car around 2:15 p.m.

According to police, the woman’s husband and another family member were also in the car at the time of the incident.

“The victim and witnesses say the suspect was reaching for and grabbing at the mother and baby. The mother, a woman in her 30s from Vancouver, screamed, held onto the baby, and attempted to fight off the man,” Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement to CityNews.

Visintin says bystanders and witnesses intervened and were able to hold the suspect down until officers arrived.

The mother sustained minor injuries in the incident, while the baby was unharmed, police explain.

Assault charge laid

The 26-year-old suspect has since been charged with assault. Police say she remains in custody until her next court appearance.

What led up to this assault happening is something that’s still going to form the investigation. We don’t know the motive, we don’t know much about what the suspect was doing prior to their interaction with this woman. Again, those are all details that will come out through the investigation,” Visintin said.

“What we do know is that this was obviously very terrifying for the people involved. For any parent out there, they can understand what it’s like to be with your child, when you feel like you’re in the safety of your own vehicle. I can’t imagine what these parents were going through. We commend the bystanders for intervening and holding this person down.”

She notes the suspect has a history of mental health issues.

The VPD is asking anyone with information about what happened to call 604-717-0601.