Police say one person was seriously hurt in a stabbing in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday.
Officers were called to Smithe and Beatty streets just before noon, to a report of a stabbing victim and a suspect chasing people with a knife.
“I just saw somebody running out of the building and he looked like he had some kind of weapon with him and all of a sudden like 20 police cars came down,” witness Carol Raaymakers told Global News.
“I saw a man running on the street, people screaming and also running in different directions. Like one second later the police were coming,” said Richard Reichel, who captured a video of police arriving with what he believes were Tasers drawn.
“There was this guy screaming and it was so chaotic, the four officers running at him, trying to get him down.”
Vancouver police Const. Tania Visintin said officers were able to arrest a 46-year-old suspect at the scene.
“We don’t know the motive just yet,” she said, adding it remained unclear if the suspect and victim knew one another.
“What led up to this incident, what caused this suspect to do that, that’s still something that’s under investigation.”
The victim was taken to hospital but has since been released.
Witness video shows officers arriving at the scene with weapons drawn, along with a man detained with his arms behind his back and bags covering his hands.
Shannon Jefferson said she was working when she saw the suspect run by her window.
“It was right beside our door, so that’s scary. A little too close to home,” she said. “It seems like it is happening more and more in this city, it’s a problem.”
Police closed Cambie Street to traffic between Smithe and Robson streets as they investigated.