A 77-year-old woman was taken to hospital following what the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) described as an “unprovoked stranger attack”.
The incident took place on Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 12, around 6:30 p.m.
“The senior was walking near Cambie Street and West Broadway when she was intentionally shouldered and knocked to the ground by a man walking in the opposite direction,” said the department in a release.
“After the assault, the suspect continued walking eastbound on the north side of Broadway. He did not say anything or offer assistance to the senior.”
VPD
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According to the VPD, a witness called police and remained with the elderly victim until officers arrived.
“The woman suffered a cut to her head and was taken to hospital for treatment,” said the department.
The VPD described the suspect as a Black man between the ages of 20 and 30 years old with an athletic build.
The man was wearing navy-blue pants, a navy-blue rain jacket with the hood up, and dark-coloured headphones at the time of the stranger attack.
“Anyone who witnessed the assault or has dash-cam, CCTV, or cell phone video of the incident is asked to contact the Vancouver Police Department.”
Metro Vancouver has seen several recent stranger assaults in the city.
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A 57-year-old man was on the receiving end of a frightening surprise when his pant leg was set on fire by a stranger.
While the victim was sitting alone on the park bench at around 12:43 a.m. on Oct. 7, somewhere near Beach Avenue and Davie Street, an unknown suspect approached him without warning or provocation.
The suspect then allegedly threw a liquid accelerant onto the victim’s pant leg and ignited it with a lighter. The suspect then fled the scene.
One person has also been arrested in an alleged attack on a baby and mother in Vancouver.
According to the VPD, the incident involved a one-year-old baby and his mother.
VPD says that the mother was walking with her baby in a stroller along East Hastings Street, near Princess Avenue. The incident took place at around 4:40 p.m. VPD says that the mother was approached by an unknown woman.
After being approached by the stranger, the mother told VPD officers that the woman demanded money.
“During the altercation, the suspect grabbed her baby by the hair. No one was physically injured,” VPD said.