VANCOUVER -- Police are trying to identify a suspect who allegedly attacked a senior last month in Vancouver – all while he was apparently observing Pink Shirt Day.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police said the man boarded a SkyTrain in downtown Vancouver on the morning of Feb. 26, then used an aerosol can and flame to create a "small torch" that scared away several other passengers.
He then allegedly approached an elderly man, demanded money and "punched him in the face multiple times, breaking his glasses and causing abrasions."
Authorities said the suspect stole $5 from the senior's pocket then stepped off the train at Main Street-Science World Station.
The incident happened on Pink Shirt Day, the annual event organized to combat bullying, and the suspect was wearing a pink shirt at the time.
"It is unsettling to see an incident with this level of violence at any time, but in particular on Pink Shirt Day, a day devoted to anti-bullying and treating everyone with kindness," Metro Vancouver Transit Police said in a news release.
The victim's cuts and bruises were treated at the scene by paramedics and released.
On Thursday, weeks after the incident, police released a number of surveillance images of the suspect in the hopes that someone will recognize him.
He's described as a South Asian man with a medium build and dark stubble. Apart from his pink T-shirt, he was wearing a blue LA Dodgers baseball hat, a dark brown waist-length coat, a grey hoodie, black pants with a red stripe and dark running shoes.
The man was also carrying a black backpack with an orange, black and white logo and appeared to have diamond-studded earrings in both ears.
Police said anyone with information on the suspect's identity can contact Transit Police at 604-516-7419.
