Stabbing at Metro Vancouver grocery store sends victim to hospital

A woman is in hospital after being stabbed inside a Metro Vancouver grocery store over the noon hour Thursday.

Surrey Mounties said they were called to a Real Canadian Superstore in the city shortly before 1 p.m. for the incident.

They said in a news release that officers arrived at the location on 104 Avenue in the city's Guildford neighbourhood "within minutes of the call," and found an injured woman at the store.

That woman, who police say was conscious and communicating with paramedics, was given first aid and then taken to hospital.

Officers described her injuries as "serious" but did not say more.

Mounties did not publicly speculate on a motive in the case, but said they're looking for a suspect who left the scene before police arrived.

She's described as a woman in her 30s with long, dark hair. At the time, she was wearing a navy blue V-neck shirt, black pants and white shoes, and was carrying a blue satchel, they said, releasing photos of the woman.

So far it appears to be a random attack. Police said they're not aware of any confrontation before the victim was stabbed, and that it doesn't seem like the women knew each other.

The stabbing was reported just a short time after the provincial public safety minister addressed an increase in stranger attacks in the region.

He spoke at the B.C. legislature in Victoria Thursday morning, a day after another stabbing that appears to be random that occurred in Vancouver.

Mike Farnworth said he knows police are taking these types of incidents seriously, and did not offer any type of solution. Watch his answer in the video above.

In Surrey, police are trying to identify a suspect and ask witnesses and those with more information to come forward.