Father speaks out after stranger grabs stroller with child inside in New Westminster, B.C.
A father from New Westminster, B.C., is speaking out after a disturbing and random attack in which a stranger grabbed his young daughter’s stroller with the child inside.
Dustin Lawton said the incident happened last Friday, while he was out for an evening walk with his one year-old daughter Freya and her mother. Suddenly, a stranger approached them in the area of 6th and Carnarvon streets. Lawton said they sensed something was wrong and started to leave.
“He started walking towards me and I thought he was just joking around or something, 'cause I didn’t expect this to happen,” Lawton said. “He grabbed the stroller, and he had the stroller up off four wheels, and he was just trying to rip it from my hands.”
Lawton said the man also tried to grab the hood of his daughter’s clothing. He knocked the stranger to the ground, but said the man later got up and continued into the intersection.
“He went out in the middle of the street and started hitting this guy’s car,” Lawton said. “They got out and he started swinging at them, and his girlfriend ended up tripping him up backwards.”
Lawton shot cellphone video showing a man and woman in an altercation with another man in the middle of the street. The man eventually falls to the ground.
New Westminster police said they were called to the intersection at about 7:45 p.m., and added one of their officers was spat on while arresting the suspect.
Charges of assaulting a police officer and mischief have been laid against 46-year-old New Westminster resident Jamie Maclean. Maclean has been released from custody with conditions to stay away from Lawton and two others, and to not possess weapons.
Sgt. Sanjay Kumar said the motive is still under investigation.
“At this time, there’s nothing to suggest there were drugs on board, alcohol, or even if there were mental health issues, but again, as we gather more information, we’ll hopefully get a better understanding of what was going through that individual's mind,” he said. “We have had some files with this individual before but nothing to this extent.”
Kumar also applauded Lawton’s actions.
“The mother and father did the right thing by defending themselves, by fighting off this person and by getting to safety so other people could intervene and hold this person down until police arrived on scene,” he said. “Every parent has a right to defend themselves and their children.”
Lawton doesn’t feel the charges go far enough.
“Not attempted kidnapping, not child endangerment, none of that. Just the mischief charge, and he’s out now,” Lawton said. “I just think it’s a slap in the face to us and any other parent that walks around here at night.”
Kumar said additional charges are a possibility as more evidence is gathered in the investigation.
In the meantime, Lawton said his child’s mother no longer feels comfortable going for walks at night.
“We walk here all the time,” he said. “Now I don’t even want to come out here to walk.”
The case is scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 2.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.