A 30-year-old Vancouver man has been charged in connection with a stabbing spree that saw five men stabbed in less than a half an hour in East Vancouver Saturday night.

Richard Angelo Earl McDonald appeared in Vancouver Provincial Court Monday morning. He is charged with six counts of assault with a weapon and five counts of assault causing bodily harm.

McDonald also faces one count of robbery for an attempted carjacking while trying to evade police.

The first incident happened just past 6 p.m., when a man was stabbed in the back near East Broadway and Commercial Drive.

The alleged attacker then started running west on Broadway. He stabbed another man near McLean Street, another near Woodland and another by East 10th Avenue and Clark Drive.

A fifth victim was stabbed in the 1100-block of East 11th Avenue.

The first call to police came from witnesses on 11th Ave., who chased the man on foot.

"Before he was taken into custody he did approach a vehicle in the 1100-block on East 11th and try to get into the vehicle," Const. Lindsey Houghton told CTV News.

"Fortunately the driver of the vehicle recognized what was going on and prevented him from leaving."

Officers arrested McDonald in the 900-block of East Broadway. An "edged weapon" was recovered at the scene.

Houghton says gender is the only common link among victims. All five are men ranging from age 27 to 46.

"All different races all from different areas of Vancouver. They all just happened to be in that area at this time," he said.

The motive for the attacks is still unknown. Investigators and the Crown are looking at the man's mental health and whether the accused was on drugs. He is known to police.

Houghton said all of the victims didn't see their attacker coming because he approached everyone from behind, or from the side.

"Without even saying anything he would stab them in the back or in the back part of the torso and carry on his way.

He didn't say anything to anyone of the victims. It was just totally out of the blue."

All of the victims were treated for non-life threatening injuries and are expected to recover.