A 57-year-old man was on the receiving end of quite the frightening surprise when he was sitting alone on a park bench in Vancouver before his pant leg was set on fire by a stranger.
The Vancouver Police Department is sharing some information about the wild incident that occurred at around 12:43 a.m. this morning.
While the victim was sitting alone on the park bench, 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.
Police said that no words or threats were uttered prior to the assault.
Thankfully, the victim was able to successfully stamp out the fire, preventing injury from occurring.
Following the incident, the VPD conducted an immediate search of the area, but the suspect was not found.
VPD says the suspect is approximately 5’8″ to 5’10” with an average build. At the time of the incident, he was wearing dark clothing with some white around his neck.
VPD is now asking for any dash-cam footage of the area in hopes that someone captured the incident.
“This was a completely unprovoked, random attack, and we urgently need anyone with information or dash-cam footage to call the non-emergency line immediately at 604-717-3321,” said VPD Constable Darren Wong.
This follows another wild stranger incident that occurred in Vancouver earlier this week, when a woman allegedly attacked a mother and her baby in the Downtown Eastside. VPD said that the suspect grabbed the baby’s hair. The suspect then approached a man and punched him in the face. The suspect also stole liquor from a liquor store nearby.
Police were able to locate and arrest a suspect in that incident. The suspect was taken to jail and then to the hospital for a pre-existing condition.