Vancouver police search for man who pushed victim into traffic during assault
VANCOUVER — Police are appealing for help as they investigate an assault where a man was seriously injured when he was pushed into the path of a vehicle.
Police say it happened on East Hastings Street on the night of July 15 after two men stopped to check on the wellbeing of a woman who appeared intoxicated.
The woman assured them she was fine, but police say in a statement that the men were confronted moments later by an agitated man who had been walking behind the woman.
Police say the man pushed a 37-year-old Surrey man into the street, where he was hit and seriously injured by a sport-utility vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle pulled over and other witnesses tried to hold the suspect for police, but both the man and the woman, believed to be his friend, ran off.
Const. Jason Doucette says the victim is still recovering and detectives want to speak to anyone with information about the attack or the suspect, described as in his mid-20s, about six feet tall, with a heavy, athletic build.
“We have obtained dash-cam video from the SUV involved in the collision,” Doucette says in the statement.
“We are asking the suspect to turn himself in, but if he doesn’t, we are confident that someone will come forward to identity him and his friend.”
A drawing issued by investigators shows the suspect has short dark hair and dark facial stubble, and police say he was wearing a black crew-neck T-shirt and dark shorts.
The woman is described as Asian, 20 to 25 years old, with a slim build, medium length black hair and she was wearing a white tank top or a sun dress.