Investigators looking into alleged transit assaults in Vancouver seek public’s help

A man suspected of assaulting a stranger on a bus in Vancouver last month remains at large, prompting a public plea for help by transit police.

In a statement issued Thursday, Metro Vancouver Transit Police detailed two separate physical interactions between two men they believe weren’t known each other. The violence broke out on a bus just before 6 p.m. on May 23.

The pair got into a “physical altercation” while boarding the same bus at the Marine Drive Canada Line Station in South Vancouver, according to MVTP, injuring a bystander and breaking a window in the process.

Police say both men got off the bus after the violent exchange, before a second physical altercation between them happened near Southeast Marine Drive and 70th Avenue.

“The victim suffered significant injuries, including a broken jaw and a severed finger,” transit police said.

MVTP describe the suspect as a white man between 25 and 35 years old, who stands 6’1” tall.

Police say he has a “stocky build” and shoulder-length light brown hair.

At the time of the assault, the suspect was wearing a green long-sleeved sweater with a white shirt underneath, green shorts, white running shoes and was carrying a black tote bag, the statement details.

“Anyone who recognizes this man is asked to call police, as is the man himself,” MVTP spokesperson Const. Amanda Steed wrote in the release. “We would like to be able to piece together the series of events that took place during this incident.”

Transit police can be contacted by phone at 604-515-8300 or by text at 87.77.77. The file number for this case is 23-9759.