Chronic offender arrested over stranger assault in Downtown Vancouver
A day after he was charged with assault with a weapon in connection with a violent attack on stranger, Mohammed Majidpour was arrested by Vancouver police and taken to jail.
A woman who was once stalked by the chronic offender hopes this time, Majidpour stays in custody.
Jamie Coutts recorded the 35-year-old following her through the streets of downtown Vancouver in March 2021.
“I went to step off the path to let him walk by, and he stopped as well. I said, 'You’re walking too close to me,' and he just stared at me weird,” said Coutts, who began recording the encounter hoping it would deter Majidpour, but it didn't.
That video went viral, and Majidpour was charged with harassing Coutts. But after pleading guilty to several unrelated charges, he was given a year of probation and the charge related to the stalking was stayed.
According to court documents, Majidpour violated his probation several times before allegedly attacking a 19-year-old female student with a pole in downtown Vancouver on Sept. 27. He also is alleged to have shouted racial slurs.
Coutts says considering his long record, Majidpour should never have been on the street in the first place.
“I think punishments need to be stronger, because people are being let free on the streets every single day, and it’s going to keep happening,” said Coutts.
She says a friend discovered a Vancouver woman being assaulted in the lobby of her apartment building on Sunday. The suspect was charged with assault, and immediately released by the courts.
“I’m shocked. It needs to be taken more seriously, because at this point it’s not,” said Coutts.
Former West Vancouver police chief Kash Heed agrees. “When you look at the court system that’s responsible for dealing with it and ensuring there’s a deterrent, it’s not there,“ said Heed.
The former solicitor general says prolific offenders don’t fear arrest because they’re rarely held in custody, and that needs to change.
“You cannot let these predators out there in society. Either institutionalize them or lock them up. You’re going to have to incapacitate these people for a period of time,” said Heed, adding “That’s a sad state we are in right now, but it’s a true state, and it’s the only way we are going to be able to protect society at this point.”
Coutts wants Majidpour to be kept behind bars for the latest assault with a weapon charge.
“I’m hoping they take it a little bit more seriously,” she said. “There is a long history of charges with that man.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.