Woman slashed in neck with machete in Vancouver stranger attack says she thought she was going to die
Warning: This story contains details that might be disturbing for some readers
A woman who was attacked by a complete stranger armed with a machete on the streets of Vancouver is sharing her story.
Around 7 p.m. Sunday, Casey Janulis and a friend were loading their luggage into the back of a cab outside the Empress Hotel on the Downtown Eastside. Janulis said a man then walked by her, carrying an umbrella.
“He looked at me almost as if I insulted him or said something but there were no words exchanged,” Janulis said. Moments later, she felt a sting on the back of her neck.
“I heard a woman’s voice scream out ‘that’s not an umbrella, that’s a machete’ and that’s when all the blood poured everywhere, in my eyes, on the pavement,” she said.
Janulis had been slashed across the base of her neck. Within minutes paramedics arrived and she was loaded into an ambulance. The last thing she remembers is her clothes being cut off with scissors and thinking, “I think I’m going to die.”
Janulis said the attacker also slashed her friend across the arm, but his injuries were less severe. Both were taken to hospital.
On Monday, Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said an officer on patrol was in the area when the attack happened and was flagged down shortly. He also issued a plea for anyone with information to come forward.
“Somebody who (Janulis and her friend) did not know approached for no apparent reason and attacked them with what we believe is a machete,” Sgt. Addison said. “There was a suspect, we do have a description.”
The suspect is described as a "heavy-set" man in his 40s. At the time, police say he was wearing a grey T-shirt, a blue raincoat, and carrying an umbrella.
Addison also told CTV News that investigators want to speak with the taxi driver who was at the scene. The vehicle was flagged down so there’s no booking record.
Janulis is now dealing with the aftermath of her attack. She has “over 30” stitches and staples holding her wound together, she has no feeling from her neck to the top of her head and said she can’t feel her hands when she first wakes up in the morning. She’s also terrified.
“Like sitting here, if somebody walks by, I’m jumpy,” she said.
Janulis doesn’t live in Vancouver. On the day of the attack she was visiting a friend and in the process of moving to the Sunshine Coast to work on her art. But since the attack she’s been living in a hotel away from the Downtown Eastside.
“I’m not from here, I’ve never been on Hastings, I didn’t get the memo,” she said. “It’s costing me a lot of money to stay there (the hotel) but I need to stay close to the hospital.”
Janulis said she’s been reading articles about Vancouver’s recent history with stranger assaults, and it’s a reason she decided to speak out and push for changes.
“I just feel like there shouldn’t be some people walking amongst us with that kind of mental illness,” she said. “I just want the guy off the streets, for everybody. Because that could have been anybody. It happened to be me but… thank God I’m here.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.