Man arrested, charged in violent ‘unprovoked’ attack

A man has been arrested and charged following an unprovoked attack Sunday on a woman in Vancouver’s downtown core.

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says the 35-year-old victim — a visitor to Vancouver — near the entrance to the Waterfront SkyTrain station around 9 a.m. when she was assaulted.

“She was punched, knocked to the ground, repeatedly, kicked, and sustained some pretty serious injuries that required hospitalization,” Sgt. Steve Addison told 1130 NewsRadio.

“A long with the physical injuries, undoubtedly she’ll have emotional injuries emotional trauma that comes along with being attacked by somebody you don’t know, in such a vicious way.”

He says video evidence helped the VPD quickly identify and arrest the suspect later that day.

The BC Prosecution Service has since charged a 40-year-old man with one count of aggravated assault. Police say he is currently in custody.

“In this case and in every case like this, we’ll look at what role if any mental health played in the events that occurred. But at this point of the investigation, we can’t say definitively what the motive was — beyond the fact that, by all accounts, it was completely unprovoked and extremely violent,” said Addison.

Addison says multiple people were present — some of whom called 911 — but the VPD is still looking to speak with any witnesses who have not yet come forward.