Witnesses sought after mom, baby assaulted by stranger in Surrey
Police are asking witnesses to come forward weeks after a woman and her baby were allegedly attacked by a stranger in Surrey.
Authorities said the victims were waiting to cross 120 Street on the morning of Dec. 15 when an unknown man threatened and assaulted them.
The alleged victim, Sarah Squires, told CTV News she walked away with some minor bruising and her daughter, just 11 months old at the time, was unharmed.
However, Squires said she’s still feeling traumatized.
"It was horrible,” Squires said.
“Even to this day I'm not going for walks by myself, I'm scared to be by myself."
Cpl. Elenore Sturko told CTV News the one positive aspect of the otherwise disturbing incident is that Good Samaritans intervened and prevented a suspect from fleeing the area.
"They were able to stop this person from leaving so we could come and take them into custody," Sturko said. "You always want to hear that people still care, despite some of the stuff that's been going on recently… people did care about the mom and the kid."
Squires, who said she’s extremely grateful for those who intervened, hopes to see her alleged attacker brought to justice as soon as possible.
"I just don't want this to happen to anyone else, she said.
The suspect remains in custody more than a month after the attack. Sturko said police submitted a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service, but were asked to obtain statements from additional witnesses to bolster the case.
Authorities are not releasing details about the suspect's description, or the nature of the assault on the woman and child, to prevent contaminating the memories of potential witnesses, Sturko said.
"We want to be sure that we're getting 'pure version' witness statements so we're not releasing any details that a true witness would be able to tell us themselves," she added.
Surrey RCMP said the incident happened near 7474 120 Street at around 11:17 a.m. Anyone who was in the area at that time on Dec. 15, and who hasn't already provided a statement to police, has been asked to call the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Minister 'outraged' after AFN national chief's headdress taken from Air Canada cabin
The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.
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.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.