Violent Halloween party night sees five stabbings in an hour

Violent Halloween party night sees five stabbings in less than an hour

On Saturday night, Halloween revellers poured into the city. By early Sunday morning, five people had been stabbed in less than an hour, and police say they’re investigating.

According to Vancouver Police, the city’s bars, restaurants, and entertainment zones were “flooded” with Halloween party-goers from Saturday, October 28, through to Sunday morning.

“The weekend before Halloween is always one of the busiest for our officers, and these major incidents stretched our resources thin during a critical time,” said Sergeant Addison in a release.

#VPDNews: #VPD are investigating after five people were stabbed in less than an hour early this morning, as Halloween partiers flooded the city’s bars, restaurants, and entertainment zones. Investigators believe it was two separate and targeted incidents. https://t.co/ncjR3LQ3KD pic.twitter.com/gMexyanetL

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) October 30, 2022

“At this stage in the investigations, we believe these stabbings occurred in two separate and unrelated incidents. All five victims were sent to the hospital,” said Addison.

“We believe these crimes were targeted, and resulted from prior confrontations between the victims and the suspects,” he said.

You might also like:

According to police, officers responded to a triple stabbing at a bar near Oak Street and West Broadway at around 1:30 am on Sunday. A confrontation between two groups left three men seriously injured, said police, and the suspects fled.

The three victims were all men in their 20s from White Rock in the city for a birthday celebration. One was treated at a hospital for non-life threatening injuries, but the others were more seriously hurt and are still in hospital, said police.

Shortly after, there was a large fight between two groups of people on Granville Street and patrolling VPD officers intervened.

Two men in their 20s suffered stab wounds to their faces, hands, and torsos. No suspects have yet been identified.

Police shared several other incidents of note in various downtown neighbourhoods over the weekend.

Howe and Nelson

According to police, a man in his 20s visiting the Granville Entertainment District from Surrey early Saturday morning had attempted to intervene in a dispute between two strangers. He was slashed in the face during the altercation and taken to the hospital for stitches.

Denman and Davie

Police say a witness called them after “hearing someone claim to have a gun during an altercation between two groups at a restaurant” in the West End early on Saturday morning. The suspects left in a cab while VPD officers attended. They found the cab, arrested the suspects, and seized two loaded handguns from a man in his 20s.

Chinatown

Police located a suspect who attempted to flee on a bike after threatening a man in his 20s walking in Chinatown Saturday night. The victim called the police, and VPD found the suspect.

“Unfortunately for the suspect, he was in the wrong bike gear, and his chain fell off, allowing officers to apprehend him before he could ride away,” said Police. The suspect was taken to jail, and charges have been recommended.

It has been a busy weekend so far for the VPD, and Halloween’s not over yet. Officers on Saturday were deployed for protests and events at the Lions Gate Bridge, PNE, and Rogers Arena, too.

As we continue through Halloween weekend, remember, if you are the victim of a crime or a witness to a crime in progress, call the police immediately so officers can respond. Non-emergency incidents can be reported to 604-717-3321.