Two women were assaulted in downtown Vancouver on Friday morning, one of whom was a Crown prosecutor on her way to work at Vancouver’s B.C. Provincial Court.
The BC Prosecution Service confirmed the attack on its employee, but could not provide an update on her injuries.
According to Vancouver police, the attacks took place around 9 a.m., shortly after one another, near East Hastings and Columbia streets. It’s believed the same male suspect is responsible for both.
“We do believe these two assaults were random in nature. We don’t believe the suspect and the victims knew each other, so again, that all poses very concerning red flags for us,” Const. Tania Visintin told Global News.
“Obviously, it’s early to say but the suspect probably wasn’t in his right state of mind. Drugs and alcohol, mental illness, could all be considered factors right now.”
At an unrelated press conference Friday, Premier David Eby said he was “profoundly disturbed” by the assault on the Crown attorney, who is receiving medical treatment.
“I don’t care if you’re Crown counsel or a defense lawyer or a judge or a sheriff or a clerk. Our justice system, to work, needs to ensure that the people who run it are safe — just like our hospitals, just like our bus drivers,” he said.
“I am reaching out to our attorney general. I know that she and her team will be looking at what we can do to increase safety.”
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