Suspect in stranger attack of 2 men at large, Vancouver police investigating

A Vancouver police vehicle is seen in this file photo. (CTV)

Two homeless men were assaulted in Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood on Wednesday night, and police say they’re looking for one suspect.

The victims were sitting in a park near West 10th Avenue and Fir Street when a stranger attacked them, sending one of the men to hospital with injuries to his face and hands, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

“Our officers responded to a 911 call just after 8 p.m. last night,” VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison wrote in an email to CTV News on Thursday. “They arrived on scene in less than four minutes, however the suspect had left the area and has not been identified.”

Addison says the VPD Canine Unit attempted to track down the suspect with no luck.

Police say the alleged attacker was a man in his 30s with a heavy build and short black hair who was wearing a white shirt and beige shorts.

Stanley Woodvine, a homeless man who was not involved in the assault, says he’s frustrated by the fact that police didn’t notify the public about this stranger attack, which he believes is due to the fact that the victims were homeless.

“Both victims are personally known to me and are both unhoused,” Woodvine told CTV News.

Addison says a statement wasn’t sent out because the investigation is still in its early stages.

He was unable to confirm whether the victims are permanently housed.