Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they have identified a man who allegedly attacked a woman, pulling her hair and punching her multiple times while on a bus in east Vancouver.
On April 15 at roughly 4:25 p.m., the male suspect boarded a bus near the intersection of Main Street and East Hastings in Vancouver. Shortly after, two Asian women, wearing protective masks, boarded the bus and sat down. The suspect immediately directed his attention to the two women, stating words to the effect of “Go back to your country; that’s where it all started.”
A woman who was sitting directly across from the man told him to leave the two women alone. After she spoke up, the man began to argue with her and he allegedly threatened her. Moments later, the suspect allegedly jumped up and kicked the victim in the leg. When the victim stood up to defend herself, the suspect allegedly reached over and violently pulled the victim’s hair, pulling so hard that a large clump of hair was pulled from her head.
The suspect allegedly punched the victim numerous times in the head and wrestled her to the ground. While pinned to the floor of the bus, the victim was able to fight the suspect off.
Following the attack, the suspect left the bus and was last seen running away near Commercial Drive and East Hastings.
The victim received bruising to her leg and an injured scalp.
Police say that the suspect, a 48-year-old Vancouver resident of no fixed address, passed away from an apparent drug overdose approximately one week after this incident. He was well known to police.
Appeal to the public by @TransitPolice has lead to the identity of the suspect believed to be involved in a disturbing assault of a woman on a bus. Transit Police would like to sincerely thank the public and the media for their assistance in this matter.https://t.co/u3lRobyDkM pic.twitter.com/frIfivYs5Q
— Cst. Mike Yake (@CstMYake) May 13, 2020
In a release, police say they were able to identify the individual thanks to tips from the public, and they thank the media and the public for their assistance in this investigation.
