Caught on camera: Man with 2 blades rampages at Vancouver gas station

Multiple videos have emerged of a suspect armed with a knife and pruning saw rampaging at a Vancouver gas station, where authorities confirm a man was stabbed Wednesday morning.

The tense incident unfolded at the busy Esso station on East Hastings and Skeena streets shortly before 6:30 a.m., as many commuters were headed for work.

Witness David Leonardo told CTV News it started when a van that was missing a tire veered into a pedestrian, sending the victim soaring through the air.

"I saw the gentleman fly maybe 20 feet," said Leonardo, who help tend to the pedestrian after the collision.

Leonardo said the driver of the van approached the victim, appearing to be disoriented, and asked if the man was OK before walking off.

Moments later, Leonardo said he heard someone shout, "Watch out!" and turned to see the driver returning with two bladed weapons. The man leaned over and started stabbing the injured pedestrian in the back and neck, Leonardo said.

"I don't really understand the reason for the stabbing," Leonardo said, adding that the attacker seemed to be in a troubled state. "I looked into his eyes and he just wasn't there."

One video obtained exclusively by CTV News shows bystanders trying to defend themselves during the altercation, including a man who picked up part of a blue garbage bin to ward off a possible attack.

Witness Justin Lloyd saw part of the alarming confrontation unfold from a friend's home nearby.

"I just looked out the window and saw a man brandishing a machete and chasing people around the gas station parking lot," Lloyd said.

"It was pretty chaotic. Then I believe he tried to steal a motorcycle, and that's when police showed up and had guns drawn."

A pruning saw is seen on the ground following a stabbing at an East Vancouver gas station on June 1, 2022.

The Vancouver Police Department said officers arrived at the scene minutes after the stabbing was reported to 911, and took a 61-year-old suspect into custody.

The stabbing victim was taken to hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, authorities said, and another man who was punched was treated at the scene.

Const. Tania Visintin said the suspect and victims don't know each other, and do not appear to have had "any significant interactions" before the attack.

"We don’t know if there was a motive for this attack, and the fact that it appears random and unprovoked is extremely concerning," Visintin said in a news release.

Authorities said hours earlier, at around 1:30 a.m., a man driving the same van allegedly fled from police in several Metro Vancouver cities. Visintin said the driver was boxed in by officers at one point, but proceeded to ram into a police car and flee the scene.