Woman punched in the face near Vancouver SkyTrain station, suspect facing charges

One woman is facing assault charges and another is recovering after yet another stranger attack in Vancouver.

Vancouver police say a young woman was punched in the face Tuesday night after she was asked for a cigarette.

The assault happened near the Marine Drive Station and the Vancouver Police Department describes it as “random and unprovoked."

The 23-year-old victim had just gotten off a bus and was walking near a coffee shop when she was approached by someone asking for a cigarette.

“The victim, who doesn’t smoke, said she didn’t have one. She was then punched a number of times in the face, causing an injury,” said Sgt. Steve Addison of VPD in an email to CTV News.

Addison says police were called right away and that allowed officers to locate and arrest the suspect who was still in the area.

VPD says the victim suffered bruising and other facial injuries.

“I think what's more important to note is the severity of this type of offense. When this happens to you. This can be very traumatizing to someone,” said Const. Tania Visintin during a news conference Thursday morning.

Visintin says the woman has been offered support through the VPD’s Victim Services Unit. 

Samantha Estelle Towedo, 38, has been charged with assault.

According to the Correctional Service of Canada, a woman with the same name and birth year escaped a federal prison in Edmonton in 2018 by climbing a fence. At the time, the agency called her a known violent offender.

The random attack is the latest in what's become an unsettling trend in the city.

On New Year's Eve, another young woman was assaulted in broad daylight while walking past Hotel Georgia.

Then late last month, a man from Mexico was stabbed in a vicious attack inside the Tim Hortons at the Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver.

According to statistics from Vancouver Police, there were four stranger assaults in the city per day last year, on average.

As for this latest attack, court records show Towedo was released from custody after appearing before a judge in Vancouver provincial court Wednesday.

She's due back in court on Feb. 16.

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Ben Nesbit