A man who was stabbed during Vancouver's Stanley Cup riot says one of the men charged in the attack is innocent and was just trying to stop a knife-wielding rioter.
Sunny Jaura took a knife in the back last Wednesday after he tried to intervene in a brawl in the 700-block of Hornby Street.
Edgar Ricardo Garcia, 20, of Burnaby has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the attack and 27-year-old Joshua Lyle Evans is charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.
But Jaura says Evans is his friend, and he thinks police have the wrong man.
"One of my friends, Josh, saw the man with the knife and went to go grab him and hold him for the police, and took the knife out of his hand. The Vancouver police pulled their guns on him and took him down, which is kind of sad. Josh is a hero for doing that, putting his life on the line to help the police out," Jaura told CTV News.
Evans's brother Jay wrote CTV News an email saying, "Josh has received close to 40 letters of support from friends and family.... He deserves better than his name publicized as a criminal."
Police have declined to comment while the case is before the courts.
Jaura says he was injured when he and his friends tried to stop four men they saw beating up another two.
"Me and my friends shouted at them to stop, then they turned on us. Ten seconds later, I got stabbed," he said.
The knife missed his major organs and doctors say he will eventually recover.
"Breathing and sitting down, getting up, coughing and sneezing are not the best. Walking's a little difficult at times," Jaura said.
But he says the pain was worth it because he was trying to help someone in trouble.
"Would I do it again and save that man's life who was getting beaten down? Sure I would," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward
