3 men randomly stabbed by stranger in downtown Vancouver: police

In less than 15 minutes, three people were stabbed in seemingly random attacks in downtown Vancouver Monday night, according to authorities.

Officers were called to Granville Street, near Nelson street, at 9:40 p.m. for a report that a 33-year-old man had been stabbed in the back, a news release from the Vancouver Police Department says.

The next report came "minutes later" when a 41-year-old man was stabbed two blocks away, at Granville and Davie streets, according to the VPD. At 9:52 p.m., while police were responding to the second stabbing, a 911 call came in reporting that a third victim was stabbed at Granville and Nelson streets.

Spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said the motive for the stabbings has not yet been determined.

"We don't believe that the victims knew each other. We don't believe that the victims knew the suspect," he told CTV News.

No information was provided on the nature or extent of the victims’ injuries. Addison did say one was hurt "quite seriously" and that all three are expected to fully recover physically.

"There's also mental trauma. There's emotional trauma that will take, I can only imagine, a significant amount of time for these victims to recover from,” he said.

Mayor Ken Sim, who was elected on a campaign focused on public safety, issued a statement Tuesday shortly after the VPD issued a news release. In it, he referenced the discovery of two women's bodies in English Bay since Sunday, as well as Monday night's stabbings.

"Though these incidents are unrelated, they have shaken our community. My heartfelt thoughts are with the victims and their families during this extremely challenging time," Sim wrote.

“The Vancouver Police Department is actively investigating these incidents and the suspect involved in the stabbings was quickly arrested. We are working closely with the VPD to take every necessary step to enhance public safety and prevent such incidents in the future."

Addison, like Sim, acknowledged that the discoveries of the women's bodies and the triple stabbing have been alarming.

"They create an uneasiness and concern for people's safety. We absolutely understand that," he said.

While the VPD believes the person responsible for the stabbings is in custody, the cases of the women are mired in uncertainty. Neither woman's identity is known and their causes of death have yet to be determined.

"There's a lot of questions that still need to be answered, and we're working really hard to answer those questions, although we have not determined whether or not these deaths were the result of crime," Addison said, also noting police do not know if there is any connection between the two deaths aside from the fact that the women were found dead by passersby near popular beaches on back-to-back days.

Autopsies are being conducted, missing persons files are being reviewed and searches are underway for evidence along the shoreline – with officers on the ground, police boats on the water and a drone in the air.

"It's an all-hands-on-deck situation," Addison said.

In the meantime, Addison is urging the concerned public to avoid speculation.

Witnesses and those with information are urged to call the VPD's Major Crimes Unit at 604-717-2541.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Yasmin Gandham