'This is not right': Transit police search for suspect after elderly woman attacked on SkyTrain
Metro Vancouver Transit Police are searching for a suspect after a disturbing attack on a SkyTrain last month in Vancouver that sent an elderly woman to hospital.
Janice Derrick’s relatives said she was coming home from Christmas shopping when she was assaulted by a stranger.
Derrick’s niece Kandice Boudreau said her 76-year-old aunt is still recovering in at Burnaby Hospital two weeks later.
“I was just in shock that my aunt got attacked,” she said. “You know, unprovoked attack. She’s an elderly First Nations woman. This is not right.”
Boudreau said Derrick was coming home on Nov. 23 between 5 and 6 p.m. when she boarded the train at Commercial Drive for her usual ride to Renfrew station.
Before she got there, Derrick’s family and police said the Gitxsan elder had picked up a piece of clothing that she saw on the train floor, folded it, and placed it on an empty seat.
Sgt. Clint Hampton with the Transit Police said the woman sitting beside the empty seat “took exception to this.”
“She began yelling, swearing,” he said.
Boudreau said the woman then got up and attacked her aunt.
“Just started hitting her on the head,” she said. “She was screaming for help, and nobody helped her.”
Sgt. Hampton said Derrick was met by a SkyTrain attendant at the station, where she treated by paramedics before being taken to Burnaby Hospital.
“The victim's caregiver was actually able to come and she was updated on the events,” he said.
Derrick’s sister and niece said they weren’t notified at the time and found out two days later. They said Derrick has a knee fracture, and it’s unclear how long she may remain in hospital.
“She’s very traumatized,” Boudreau said. “It’s going to be very difficult for her to get back on a train after this has happened.”
Sgt. Hampton said while there is no video from the train, cameras would capture the suspect getting on and off.
“At this point in time, we’re not appealing to the public in order to identify the suspect. We’re looking at other investigative means,” he said. “We don’t have any indication to suspect that this is an ongoing thing, or that this has occurred on multiple occasions.”
Derrick’s sister Margaret said an Indigenous liasion officer from the transit police visited her at the hospital.
“They gave her a smudge there, and did some prayers,” she said. “She said, ‘there must be a reason why she did this to me, she must be a very unhappy lady.’”
Boudreau and her mother said Derrick is also very friendly, and loves people.
“My aunt already forgives this lady that attacked her,” Boudreau said. “She prayed for her.”
Derrick’s family wants to let others know what happened, and they’re hoping the suspect is found.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.