Man tried to attack hotel concierge with knife in caught-on-camera incident; Vancouver police appeal for witnesses

Vancouver -

Police in Vancouver are hoping witnesses will come forward after a man reportedly chased a hotel concierge with a knife earlier this month.

In a news release Friday, Vancouver police said the incident happened on Oct. 8 at a hotel on Robson Street. Investigators said the concierge "confronted a man who had entered the parkade and was peering into cars."

According to police, the man pulled out a knife and reportedly threatened the hotel employee before running onto the street. A passerby saw what happened and called police, but the suspect had already fled by the time officers arrived.

"This incident undoubtedly terrified the victim, who was only doing his job when the man pulled a knife and chased him," said Const. Tania Visintin in the news release.

"We have not yet identified the suspect, so we’ve released this video with hopes that someone out there knows who he is."

The video released by police shows the suspect walking in the parkade. He has a black face mask pulled down beneath his nose and you can see him talking to and pointing at someone around the corner. He then slowly takes out a folding pocket knife, opens it and walks towards the person.

Video from another angle shows a person running away from the man who has the knife. The man stops by a wall, appears to carve something, then throws what looks like the knife before walking out of the parkade.

Police described the suspect as bald and clean-shaven. He's in his 30s and was wearing a black jacket, orange or yellow shirt and black pants at the time. Investigators said the man had "multiple cuts and bruises."

Anyone with details is asked to call 604-717-4022.