Transit police are asking the public to help identify a man who allegedly ripped hair from a woman’s scalp, kicked and punched her after she told him to stop harassing two Asian passengers.
On April 15, a man boarded a bus at Main and East Hastings, followed a short time later by two Asian woman who wore protective masks.
Const. Mike Yake with the Transit Police said the man then directed his attention toward the two Asian woman and allegedly made a comment to the effect of, “Go back to your own country, that’s where it all began.”
“During this time, there was a woman who was sitting across from the man and she simply told the man to leave the two women alone,” said Yake.
The suspect then began arguing with and threatening the woman who intervened, before kicking her in the leg. When the woman stood up to defend herself, the suspect allegedly grabbed “a significant amount of hair” and ripped it from the woman’s scalp before punching her multiple times, wrestling her to the floor of the bus and pinning her down.
“Thankfully, she was able to fight back and get the suspect off her,” said Yake. “He ran out of the bus and was last seen in the area of Commercial Drive and East Hastings.”
The victim, who is not Asian, was bruised on her leg and suffered a scalp injury.
“This assault investigation has an obvious element to racism, however, it will be determined if the assault is considered a hate crime when the incident works its way through the court system,” said Yake of the ongoing investigation.
Transit Police are now releasing smartphone footage was was filmed of the suspect, in hopes the public can help identify the man.
The suspect is described as a white man about 45 to 55 years old, standing about 5-foot-6, weighing 180 pounds with a stocky build. At the time of the assault, he was wearing a red baseball hat with a letter V, a dark blue t-shirt, light grey sweat pants and blue shoes.
“All passengers have the right to feel safe and protected while using public transit,” said Yake. “There’s absolutely no place for racism or violence on our transit system.”
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact the Metro Vancouver Transit Police tip line by phone at 604-516-7419 or by text at 87-77-77 and cite file number 2020-7645.
It is the second assault in recent weeks on board transit and the third assault in Vancouver prompted by racist comments linked to COVID-19.
In late April, a woman who was a visible minority on board a SkyTrain was attacked by a stranger after he had been staring at her and started screaming, “You people are why my daughter is sick!” The man then punched her in the face several times before throwing her head against SkyTrain seating.
Another April incident saw an elderly Asian man with dementia attacked by a white man, after the suspect made racist remarks about COVID-19 .
Suspects have been identified in both April assaults.
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