2 women randomly assaulted in Richmond, RCMP say

Mounties in Richmond have issued an "urgent" appeal for information after two women were randomly assaulted by an unknown man on a downtown street Tuesday morning.

An officer was flagged down in the 6400-block of Buswell Street where a woman was found "lying on the sidewalk," according to a statement from police Thursday.

"At the time, investigators believed this had been a medical emergency of some sort," the media release from the Richmond RCMP says, noting that the woman was given first aid and taken to the hospital for treatment. No information about the nature or extent of the woman's injuries was provided.

Sometime after the first incident, Mounties say they received a report from another woman that she had been assaulted by a man she did not know the same day while walking in the same location. Investigators now believe the two incidents are related, with police saying they occurred in the "mid-morning hours."

Anyone who witnessed the assaults or who has dashcam video from Buswell Street, between Cook and Saba roads from Tuesday morning is being asked to call 604-278-1212.