The Vancouver Police Department was busy this weekend.
From Friday at 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Monday, Sgt. Steve Addison said officers responded to nearly 1,500 calls.
That included 154 priority one calls, meaning an emergency and someone’s life could be at risk, and at least 23 calls about a dangerous weapon, 34 calls of assaults in progress, and six people injured in a stabbing.
One person was shot with a crossbow, and officers were present at multiple protests, including one with more than 8,000 people.
The crossbow incident happened around 4 p.m. on Saturday near East Hastings and Carrall street.
The victim was a man in his 20s, who was rushed to the hospital, police said.
“Officers on a routine patrol were flagged down by some people,” said Sgt. Steve Addison on Saturday. “They reported to the officers that a man had been shot with a crossbow.
“Someone pulled the arrow from the victim’s chest before officers arrived and applied pressure to the wound.”
Investigators believe the attack was a response to an altercation that took place in the area earlier in the day.
Addison said this is the worst level of crime he has seen in his policing career and has heard from other officers with longer careers who say the same.
“It’s concerning for us for sure,” he said.
Vancouver police officers were also called to CRAB Park around 3 a.m. Saturday when two people fleeing the camp approached them for help.
“As victims and bystanders fled, police officers converged on CRAB Park, locating a third badly injured victim within the encampment and arresting the 42-year-old suspect as he attempted to leave the area,” Addison said.
“The suspect was arrested for attempted murder and remains in custody.”
Addison adds that investigators believe the stabbings were unprovoked, and the suspect is believed to be an encampment resident.
Police say three victims — a man in his 30s, a man in his 40s, and an unidentified man — suffered serious injuries, including stab wounds and punctured organs.
Meanwhile, an anti-hate rally was held at the damaged Komagata Maru memorial in downtown Vancouver, Saturday.
The rally was organized by the West Coast Coalition Against Racism (WCCAR) as a response to the vandalism of the memorial.Thousands of people attended.
Vancouver police said glass at the Komagata Maru memorial in Coal Harbour was smashed, back on Oct. 5. The investigation began on Oct. 4 after officers learned on social media of the vandalism.
It is the second time the memorial has been vandalized.
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