May long weekend marked by violent crimes in Vancouver
Vancouver police were kept busy over the long weekend responding to a number of violent crimes being reported throughout the city.
That included the city’s fifth homicide, which claimed the life of a 19-year-old man. It happened in the early hours of Monday morning near The Gallery nightclub in the Marpole neighbourhood.
A witness told CTV News a young man ran from the scene of a fight involving multiple people with a stab wound in his neck. Paramedics would tend to him at the scene but he later died in hospital.
Early Sunday morning, a street fight was caught on video involving several people near Howe and Davie streets, a block from the Granville entertainment district. In the video, someone is seen getting kicked several times while laying defenseless on the ground. Vancouver police say none of the victims co-operated with investigators.
“Really appalled, but not surprising,” said John Clerides, after watching the brawl caught on camera. The longtime business owner in Vancouver’s West End says violence on the streets is only getting worse.
Clerides points to repeat offenders, who, in his opinion, go unpunished for their crimes too often.
“(The courts should be) prosecuting them. And make it known that public safety is the number one concern,” he said.
Earlier this month, the B.C. government said it would launch an independent, short-term study into repeat criminal offenders in the province, which will guide plans to curb chronic crime and random attacks.
Vancouver city council also held a special meeting on public safety two weeks ago, giving some residents the opportunity to share their concerns with councillors and the mayor.
“What we did hear loud and clear is we need (jail) sentences for these individuals, and we need to advocate for the gaps in mental health and treatment services,” said Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung.
“People are falling through the cracks, and we’re seeing it play out on our streets.”
Several hours before the street fight, around 11:30 on Saturday night, police say three teenage girls assaulted, pepper sprayed, and robbed a 15-year-old girl at a park near Richards and Smithe streets. The victim notified a parent who then alerted the police. No arrests have been made.
In a similar incident on Friday, an 87-year-old man was bear sprayed in Chinatown, near East Pender and Columbia streets, in what police call a random attack, possibly linked the anti-Asian hate. The suspect, who has not been identified, allegedly hurled racial slurs before assaulting the senior of Asian descent.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart has previously said he feels the city is safe, despite the VPD sounding the alarm over a spike in random assaults and hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People are feeling concerned and fearful about walking in their neighbourhoods,” said Kirby-Yung. “This is something I take seriously and I think council needs to take seriously. It’s not helpful when you have a mayor who says he feels safe in the city.”
CTV News has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Early results from London, U.K., suggest Labour's Sadiq Khan will secure a record third term as mayor
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, appeared Saturday to be romping to victory as results from the capital pour in.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.