A man selling jewellery on Craigslist from his East Vancouver apartment suffered “life-altering” injuries during a robbery six months ago, and police are now releasing his photo as a warning to people buying and selling goods online.
The 59-year-old suffered severe head and facial trauma, and was beaten unconscious, before a young suspect stole several items and fled the apartment.
Investigators believe the attacker was responding to a Craigslist ad.
“The victim had posted a variety of items for sale. These items included inexpensive pieces of jewellery, but the ads were unclear and the suspect may have believed the jewellery was valuable,” a spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department said.
The incident happened on Remembrance Day 2014 around 5:35 p.m., although investigators haven’t released the exact location of the apartment building.
The force has released surveillance images of the suspect, described as a 25 to 30-year-old man with a medium build. He was wearing distinct clothing, including a baseball hat with a green brim and “DC” logo, black track pants with a white stripe and white runners with black laces. He was carrying an empty brown bag.
Anyone with information about this attack is asked to call the VPD Robbery Unit at (604) 717 2541 or Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-8477.
