The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is on the hunt for a man who is now wanted BC-wide in connection with a bear spray attack on a senior in Chinatown earlier this year.
On May 24, VPD revealed that a senior was attacked with bear spray in Chinatown, an attack that appeared to be racially motivated.
The victim was an 87-year-old Chinatown resident out for his morning walk on May 20.
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According to the VPD, while the 87-year-old man was standing at the bus stop near Pender and Columbia streets, a stranger came up to him, made racist comments, then bear-sprayed him directly in the face.
After the assault, the suspect fled and was not identified at the time. Now the VPD has revealed the suspect is 44-year-old Patrick James Duncan. He was arrested after the attack, and the BC Prosecution Services approved one count of assault with a weapon against Duncan.
A BC-wide warrant has now been issued. Anyone who sees Duncan is being asked to call 911 immediately.
“Between 2019 and 2021, there was a 300% increase in reported graffiti incidents and a 425% increase in anti-Asian hate crime incidents in Chinatown. Still, nearly two-thirds of crimes go unreported in the neighbourhood, according to merchants and residents who have spoken to VPD about their concerns,” said VPD in a statement.
“People who live and work in Chinatown deserve to feel safe, valued, and respected,” added VPD Constable Tania Visintin.
“Violent and unprovoked attacks, rampant graffiti, and street disorder are appalling, and these incidents continue to erode people’s sense of safety.”