Several people are suffering from minor injuries after random alleged assaults that took place in the downtown Vancouver area over the weekend, including a Vancouver man who got punched for refusing to give the suspect money.
According to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), a total of four assaults took place within just a span of 30 minutes on Saturday.
VPD says that shortly after 2:40 p.m., the suspect first entered a business on Homer and Dunsmuir before he started to allegedly demand money from patrons and employees of the business.
“The man allegedly threw an object, which struck two employees, causing minor injuries,” VPD said.
After that incident, VPD investigators think that the same man approached someone who was walking on Beatty Street and again asked for money. After the victim declined, the suspect allegedly punched him in the face before he fled the area.
“Approximately 10 minutes later, near the intersection of Cambie and Cordova Street, another victim was allegedly punched in the face in an unprovoked attack without any exchange of words,” VPD said.
VPD Constable Megan Lui said, “These incidents are particularly concerning because they appear to have been completely unprovoked, and none of the victims had any prior interaction with the suspect.”
“Through extensive video canvassing and proactive patrols in the area, officers were able to identify, locate, and arrest a suspect closely matching the description given by witnesses. We believe there may be additional victims and encourage anyone affected by or who witnessed the incident to come forward and contact the Vancouver Police Department,” Lui added.
VPD has named the suspect as 50-year-old Marc Ledoux, who has been charged with the following offences:
- Two counts of assault
- Two counts of assault with a weapon
- One count of uttering threats
- One count of mischief
Ledoux is still in custody pending a bail hearing.
A similar incident took place last week; however, that suspect was released.