'Cruel offence': Suspect charged after allegedly stealing cane from blind, homeless man in Vancouver

This stoke image shows a person who is blind using a cane. (Credit: Shutterstock)

A man who allegedly robbed a blind, homeless man of his cane in Vancouver's West End has been arrested and charged thanks to the help of Good Samaritans, according to authorities.

The victim – who is legally blind and a newcomer to Canada – spends his days walking around the West End when the city's shelters are closed, according to the Vancouver Police Department. He was standing near Davie and Thurlow streets around 3:45 p.m. when a stranger grabbed his cane out of his hands.

"The victim tried to hold on, but was overpowered and was left stranded at the intersection after the suspect walked away with the cane," spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison wrote in a news release Wednesday.

Police say that, thankfully, three people who witnessed the incident intervened.

"While they could have chosen to drive on, they instead did the right thing and helped us make an arrest in this cruel offence,” spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said, adding that the witnesses "stopped and confronted" the suspect who police arrested "moments later."

The cane was returned to the victim and the suspect, 37-year-old Justin Jeremy Heron has been charged with one count of robbery.

"The motive for the robbery is not known," the statement from police concludes.