A Vancouver woman who was followed for more than half an hour by a man last week says a person of interest identified by police is not her stalker.
Jamie Coutts filmed the frightening encounter, which happened Wednesday, as a man relentlessly and silently pursued her through an area of downtown near Keefer and Columbia streets.
Police said Saturday they had identified the person of interest after a man was arrested for assaulting a different woman in the area of Robson and Thurlow Friday morning.
But Coutts did not recognize any of the photos shown to her by police.
“I went down and none of them were him,” she said. “It’s two completely different cases, unfortunately.”
Coutts’ story went viral after she posted the disturbing video, which shows the pursuit ending only when she found safety with a group of strangers at a skateboard park.
On Thursday, police said others had come forward after hearing Coutts’ story.
“I’m thankful for social media because a lot of women have come forward. Without proof, not a lot can be done. But with the big wave that this has turned into, they’re forced to take it more seriously.”
Coutts said despite the risks of showing her name and face, she felt compelled to speak out for missing and murdered women who don’t have a voice.
She said her big concern now is that people will let their guard down because they believe police have the man in custody.
“People think that the man who followed me was arrested, and I want people to keep their eyes open and keep looking because I, unfortunately, am not going to feel safe until he’s found,” she said.
Vancouver police said Saturday that the stalking case remains “active and ongoing.”
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