Man who stabbed stranger at Vancouver Tim Hortons in 2022 re-arrested: VPD

A man who was convicted in the random stabbing of a stranger at a downtown Vancouver Tim Hortons in 2022 is back in custody, according to authorities.

David Richard Morin was arrested on a Canada-wide warrant Monday afternoon at a Vancouver halfway house for breaching the conditions of his release, the Vancouver Police Department announced in a news release Tuesday.

Morin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years for aggravated assault in the unprovoked attack on a Mexican tourist. He was released after serving two-thirds of that time behind bars.

“Among the conditions of his release was a requirement to abstain from consuming illicit drugs or alcohol,” the statement from the VPD said.

“The Canada-wide warrant was issued after he allegedly breached those conditions.”

When Morin was released in June of 2024, the VPD issued a public warning.

"Police believe Morin poses a high risk of significant harm to the community, and that compelling circumstances exist to warn the public that he will be living in Vancouver," police said at the time.

Morin was 27 in January of 2022 when the violent assault at the Tim Hortons was caught on the coffee shop’s surveillance cameras.

At the time, authorities said the attack happened "completely without warning," and that the assailant and his victim didn't know each other and had minimal interaction before the stabbing.

The victim was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but he survived. He later told CTV News about the ordeal, saying through a translator that the assault left him feeling anxious whenever he went outside.

"He feels somebody's going to attack him in the back. He feels insecure anywhere he goes," the translator said at the time.

Morin remains in custody, the VPD said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ian Holliday.