Young woman sexually assaulted in East Vancouver after bus ride

Vancouver Police have issued a public warning after a young woman was sexually assaulted on the night of Sunday, October 29 in East Vancouver.

According to a release, the incident occurred just after 10 pm when a 20-year-old woman riding a transit bus exited at her stop at the intersection of Victoria Drive and East 64th Avenue in the Victoria-Fraserview neighbourhood.

As she was walking west on East 64th Avenue, a man approached her from behind, repeatedly groped her, and made sexual comments.

The man motioned that he had a weapon when the woman began to pull away from him, and the suspect suddenly let go of the woman and ran away towards Victoria Drive.

Police describe the suspect as an Asian male, 5’9″ tall, 160 lbs., with short black hair. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a dark coloured jacket and shorts and a medical mask over his face.

The woman was not physically injured, and she reported the assault to police on Wednesday after sharing her experience with a friend.

“The VPD are working with Coast Mountain Bus Company to recover any potential video and witnesses,” said VPD Constable Jason Doucette.

“While our detectives continue their investigation to identify the man responsible for this assault, we are reminding people to remain aware of their surroundings and report suspicious behaviour to police immediately by calling 9-1-1.

Anyone who may have information that could assist investigators or was in the area of Victoria Drive and East 64th Avenue on Sunday just after 10 pm is asked to reach out to the VPD’s Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-0604 or Crime Stoppers’ anonymous hotline at 1-800-222-8477.