Vancouver police are on the hunt for a man accused of dragging a woman into his vehicle, sexually assaulting her and then stabbing her.
The 35-year-old victim was walking down Joyce Street near Archimedes Street in East Vancouver just after midnight when a man in a vehicle approached her, according to police.
The suspect forced her into the vehicle, physically assaulted her and then drove to East 45th Avenue at Rupert Street where she was sexually assaulted.
The woman was able to scream and eventually fought off her attacker, who stabbed her during the attack.
Police say the woman ran out into traffic to try to flag somebody down after she escaped.
She was taken to hospital where she remained Sunday with serious injuries, though VPD Const. Brian Montague says she is recovering.
"To see something this violent and this severe that involves a weapon is still very rare," Montague said.
Police believe the woman was targeted because the suspect thought she was a sex trade worker.
The suspect is described as an olive-skinned man in his mid- to late-40s, 6’ to 6’2” tall, 250 pounds with a heavy, solid build. He was balding with a short, shaved, black fringe of hair around the sides and back of his head, and spoke with an accent.
The vehicle involved was an older model dark bluish-green coloured minivan with a sliding door on the passenger side and dark tinted windows.
Anyone who has information on the suspect’s identity is asked to contact the VPD’s Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-0601. Those who wish to remain anonymous can instead call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
