A video released by Vancouver police shows an unprovoked assault on a man walking in downtown Vancouver.
The 28-year-old victim was walking alone on West Georgia Street on Nov. 28 at 10:04 p.m. when he passed in front of the Hudson’s Bay 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.
“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. “Given this level of random violence, we have serious concerns that another innocent person could be assaulted and badly injured by this suspect.
“It’s imperative that we work quickly to gather all evidence from eyewitnesses and take this person into custody as soon as possible.”
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, and anyone who can identify the suspect, are asked to call the Vancouver Police Department at 604-717-4022.