Vancouver police said a suspect has been arrested following an unprovoked stranger assault that occurred on West Georgia Street on Nov. 28.
Police released a video on Tuesday that showed a 28-year-old man walking alone near the Hudson’s Bay store at 10:04 p.m. when he passed the store and a stranger lunged at him, struck him in the face and knocked him to the ground.
Police said the man suffered facial injuries but did not require hospitalization.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a VPD officer patrolling downtown spotted the suspect near Library Square and took him into custody, police said in a news release.
The suspect remains in custody on other charges, police confirmed.
“This was a completely unprovoked and violent sucker-punch on a total stranger,” Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday.
The suspect, a man who appears to be in his 20s and was wearing dark pants with a checkered shirt, ran toward Granville Street immediately after the assault, police said.
The video shows more than a dozen people standing at a nearby bus stop, some of whom rushed to help the victim when he was knocked to the ground.
However, police said some witnesses left before speaking to investigators.
“As our investigation continues, we’d like to speak to anyone who was present in the moments prior to the assault, as well as those who helped the victim after he was attacked,” Addison said.
“These eyewitnesses may have important information about the suspect’s behaviour and state of mind at the time of the assault.”
Witnesses are asked to call the Vancouver Police Department at 604-717-4022.