Photo: The Canadian Press A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer’s uniform in Vancouver, Jan. 9, 2021. Vancouver police say they are investigating a series of violent attacks by strangers in the city’s Fairview neighborhood and are trying to determine if they are related. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Daryl Dyke Vancouver police are investigating what they call a series of violent attacks by strangers in the city’s Fairview neighborhood and are trying to determine if the incidents are related. Constable Tania Visintin says all three alleged attacks involving an unknown male assailant or assailants happened within about two hours on Thursday afternoon and anyone with information should call police. Investigators say the first attack happened just after 6:30 p.m. near the False Creek Wall, under the Cambie Street Bridge, when a 70-year-old man was approached from behind, knocked to the ground and punched multiple times. A 33-year-old woman walking her dog near West 11th Avenue and Spruce Street was approached from behind and punched in the face about 45 minutes later. Police say the third attack occurred just before 8:45 p.m., when a 23-year-old woman was stabbed as she walked near West Broadway and Alder Street, causing a serious but non-life-threatening injury. Anyone who witnessed the incidents or has any information is asked to call the Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at 604-717-2541. The man allegedly involved in the stabbing was last seen heading south on Alder Street. “Incidents like these leave victims with physical and emotional scars, but they also cause fear and anxiety throughout the community,” says Visintin.
