A 37-year-old man has been arrested and released from jail after four women were sexually assaulted at or near the Granville SkyTrain station in downtown Vancouver.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police have recommended the Surrey man be charged with four counts of sexual assault. He was released on May 14 under several conditions, including a ban from the nearby Pacific Centre shopping mall and all SkyTrain properties.
“Transit Police would like to thank the bystanders who assisted the women,” said Const. Amanda Steed in a Thursday news release. “We would never ask that anyone to put themselves into harms way, but these individuals’ actions can only be described as heroic.”
According to transit police, the suspect approached his first victim as she sat on a bench in the mall around 4:30 p.m. on May 13. He allegedly touched her hip and tried to pull her toward him, but a security guard intervened and called police.
The suspect then entered the Granville SkyTrain station and tried to grab another woman’s “pubic area,” police said, but she blocked him with her hand.
Afterward, he approached a third woman and touched her breast while uttering sexually explicit comments.
He approached the fourth woman as she walked out of the station, police said. He grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her into a nearby business and she screamed for help as he shouted more explicit comments, police added, drawing the attention of bystanders who helped her break free.
Transit police rushed to the scene, and with help from several witnesses, arrested the man.
“While these types of offences often don’t leave serious physical injury, they can be especially traumatizing to those who experience them, which is why reducing sexual offences on transit is a Transit Police operational priority,” said Steed.
The suspect is expected to appear in court on July 13. Anyone with more information on the incidents is asked to contact transit police at 604-515-8300.
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