Man posed as massage therapist before sexually assaulting woman on Vancouver beach, police say

A man who allegedly posed as a massage therapist before sexually assaulting a woman on a beach in downtown Vancouver Sunday night has been arrested.

Police aren’t naming the suspect due to an ongoing investigation into the incident, which they say happened around 7:30 p.m. at English Bay.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Vancouver Police Department said the man approached a woman in her 40s who was sunbathing on the beach, claiming to be a massage therapist, before he sexually assaulted her and then walked away—north, toward Stanley Park.

After the victim called 911 and provided a description of the man, as well as the direction he was headed, VPD officers searched the area and were able to locate the suspect.

“This woman did the absolute right thing, she called 911 immediately and our officers were able to get to the area and make that quick arrest,” Const. Tania Visintin told CTV News Wednesday.

She says charges have not approved against the suspect, which is why police are not not naming him or releasing any photos. He’s described as a South Asian man in his 30s, with a medium to heavy build and short, dark hair.

Police say he was wearing a black hat, black sunglasses, a white and blue striped shirt and beige cargo shorts.

“We believe this same man approached other people on the beach—whether he just spoke with them or he massaged them as well or even sexually assaulted other women—so we want anyone with information to call our investigators,” Visintin said.

“It was a busy day, busy night, there would have been a lot of people,” she added.

Anyone with information about the suspect, or who witnessed the sexual assault reported to police, is asked to call 604-717-4034.