5 injured in 2 separate, 'targeted' Vancouver stabbings

Five people were stabbed in Vancouver early Sunday morning in what police say were two separate, targeted incidents that unfolded within an hour.

The first call came in around 1:30 a.m. and was for a triple stabbing near a bar around Oak Street and Broadway, according to a media release.

The stabbings, authorities say, followed a "confrontation between two groups" and the victims were men in their 20s from White Rock who were in the city celebrating a birthday. All three were taken to the hospital and two remain there with serious injuries.

Police say the suspects fled and no arrests were made.

Soon after, officers patrolling the Granville Strip spotted a "large fight involving two groups of people," according to the statement. In that incident, two men in their 20s "suffered stab wounds to the face, hands, and torso," police say.

The two victims were taken to the hospital for treatment and no suspcets have been identified or arrested.

"At this stage in the investigations, we believe these stabbings occurred in two separate and unrelated incidents,” said Sgt. Steve Addison. "We believe these crimes were targeted, and resulted from prior confrontations between the victims and the suspects.”

Addison noted the weekend before Halloween is typically a busy one for the Vancouver Police Department, as parties and events draw crowds to the city's bars, restaurants, and clubs.