Stabbings, guns, fires, thefts among 1,800 weekend police calls in Vancouver

Multiple assaults, suspicious fires and thefts were among some 1,800 incidents reported to Vancouver police between last Friday and Monday, the third-busiest weekend in 2023 so far.

With scorching temperatures, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said it saw a 250-per-cent increase in calls to the beach from this time last year.

Overall calls related to crime also increased 36 per cent, the force said in a Monday news release.

“With more hot weather in the forecast, VPD anticipates demand for police services will remain high,” it wrote. “Extra officers will patrol the busy beaches, parks, and entertainment areas to keep people safe.”

0:28 Father and son attacked inside Surrey hospital

The VPD said it seized total of six firearms over the weekend, and attended four stabbings and four suspicious fires.

On Friday night, police said a 16-year-old boy was stabbed multiple times, receiving superficial wounds, at Davie and Denman streets. No suspect has been identified.

Not far away, a gun was reportedly flashed at the Roxy nightclub on Granville Street. A 19-year-old from Surrey was arrested shortly afterward and police seized a loaded handgun.

A 23-year-old man was bear-sprayed at English Bay that night as well, but the suspect “disappeared” into the crowd, police said.

2:01 Renewed calls for regional police forces in B.C.

More than 20 officers also responded to an alleged assault at Hillcrest Community Centre locker room on Friday night. A 32-year-old man was swiftly charged with assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

More than a dozen officers were dispatched to help arrest five “armed and dangerous suspects” in South Vancouver that night as well. Police said they were attempting to evade police in a vehicle that contained two firearms that were eventually seized.

On Sunday, in the Downtown Eastside, the force said someone robbed an unconscious man who had overdosed near Main and Hastings streets on Sunday. A 34-year-old suspect was caught while fleeing.

In October of 2021, Vancouver police said the city was averaging a little over four random attacks on strangers each day. Since then, it has not provided an updated statistic.