A man accused of a random attack in Vancouver was released one day after his alleged crime, and now the frustrated victim is speaking out.
The Vancouver resident was recently walking down the street speaking on the phone when he claimed he was blindsided with a punch, knocking him to the ground.
One day later, the suspect in the case was released from custody.
“Just… just nuts,” the victim told Daily Hive.
We’ve verified the victim’s claims through the VPD and the BC Prosecution Service. Out of concern for the victim’s safety, we are keeping his name anonymous, but he shared the details of the attack with Daily Hive. The victim moved to Vancouver from a small town in Ontario seven years ago and claims he has never experienced anything like this.
The victim told Daily Hive that he was walking towards the Cactus Club by Canada Place, travelling on Hornby Street, having just passed the Vancouver Art Gallery when the attack happened.
“I’m walking across the street, talking on the phone. I haven’t made it to the other side yet. The next thing I know, I just got hit. I knew someone — or something — hit me, and I hit the ground.”
He never saw it coming.
VPD told us that the suspect “has been charged with two counts of assault for an incident [that] occurred on July 8. It is alleged the suspect assaulted random people near Robson and Howe and Georgia and Hornby.”
The victim suffered a minor concussion from the alleged attack, and while the suspect has been charged with two counts of assault for this and another attack, his next court date isn’t till August 12, so he’s a free man until then.
“People are doing whatever the f**k they want to do,” the victim said, frustrated by what he’s seeing in Vancouver.
He believes the situation around crime and violent realities like stranger attacks have only gotten worse from the beginning of the pandemic to now.
Thankfully for the victim — but not so fortuitous for the City of Vancouver’s reputation — was the fact that a bunch of tourists were in the vicinity of the attack, so they were able to not only grab a picture of the suspect running away but also report the attack to 911, which allowed officers to respond and capture the suspect reasonably quickly just a few blocks away.
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The victim said he didn’t know what the suspect looked like.
“The best part is he could do it to me again,” he added, referencing the fact that the suspect has been released.
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