Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they have identified a suspect who allegedly attacked a young woman and a good Samaritan in an apparent hate crime.
On June 1, transit police reported that a 17-year-old teenager and her mother boarded a bus near Pacific Centre Mall in Vancouver at approximately 3:45 p.m. on May 21. Shortly after, a woman on the bus focused on the teen, who was wearing a headscarf, asking where she was from and if she was Canadian. The woman proceeded to ridicule and mock the teen’s ethnicity.
Police say the woman became increasingly aggressive toward the teen, stating words to the effect of “your smile is making me want to punch you in the face.” The woman then allegedly punched the teen in the head several times. The victim’s headscarf was partially knocked off before her mother and a fellow passenger were able to separate the suspect from the teen.
The suspect, who got off the bus at Hastings St and Jackson Ave in Vancouver, was followed by the good Samaritan who called 9-1-1. When she noticed she was being followed, the suspect allegedly took off her boots and began hitting the good Samaritan. When she took out a knife, the good Samaritan stepped back and the suspect ran away.
The suspect in this incident has been identified as a 36-year-old woman, of no fixed address.
The Metro Vancouver Transit Police are recommending charges of Assault, Assault with a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose and Failure to Comply with Probation Order. Her next court appearance is scheduled for September 23, 2020, at Vancouver Provincial Court.
