White Rock stabbing suspect charged in 1 of 2 incidents

A man who was arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing in White Rock earlier this month has been charged in another violent incident in the city.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) says 27-year-old Dimitri Nelson Hyacinth has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing that left 28-year old Jatinder Singh seriously hurt on Sunday, April 21.

Singh had been sitting along the waterfront with his wife when a suspect came up and stabbed him in the back of the neck. This came just two days before another stabbing in the same area, which killed Kulwinder Singh Sohi.

IHIT confirms Hyacinth was arrested in connection with the homicide of Sohi. The homicide investigation is still underway, with no charges laid in that case.

“As the result of evidence collected by investigators, IHIT worked closely with the White Rock RCMP, who had conduct of the previous assault investigation,” Sgt. Timothy Pierotti told CityNews Tuesday, April 30.

Hyacinth was arrested on Monday, April 29.

“What I’ll say is we’re still continuing to work with BC Prosecution, because they’re the ones that ultimately make the decision on if someone is charged with the offence or not,” Pierotti said.

“We’ve presented the evidence that we currently have to them, and they made a decision to lay a charge in relation to the aggravated assault, which resulted in Mr. Dimitri Hyacinth being charged and held in custody.”

The two violent incidents in about as many days had the community raising concerns about safety along the White Rock waterfront.

In response to concerns, the RCMP said previously that it was stepping up patrols, with dedicated officers for the area.

“All homicide investigations have their complexities. This certainly was a challenging investigation that we took on and we’re thankful that we got the chance to work with the White Rock RCMP,” Pierotti said Tuesday.