Witnesses sought after unprovoked attack on 'visually impaired' man in downtown Vancouver

Vancouver police are looking to speak to witnesses of an unprovoked attack on a "visually impaired" pedestrian in the city's downtown last week.

The incident happened as the 69-year-old man was walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Thurlow and Alberni streets around 11 a.m. on March 31, the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release.

The suspect punched the man in the stomach and fled the area before officers arrived, police said.

The VPD described the victim of the assault as "visually impaired." CTV News has reached out to police to clarify whether this means he is blind or partially sighted.

Police said the man did not suffer physical injuries in the incident.

“We don’t know if there was a motive for this attack, but it appears the victim had no prior interaction with the suspect before the assault,” said VPD spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin, in the release.

“We also know this can be very distressing for the community when incidents like this continue to happen.”

The VPD has previously said it is called to four stranger assaults in the city each day, on average, and businesses and residents in the downtown core have complained of rising crime and street disorder.  

In this incident, police said they have identified a suspect, but are still gathering evidence and need additional witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with information should call investigators at 604-717-4021, police said.