White male violently attacks female who defended East Asian women on bus

METRO Vancouver Transit Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who allegedly attacked a woman, pulling her hair and punching her multiple times while on a bus.

At approximately 4:25 p.m. on April 15, a man boarded a bus at Main Street and East Hastings in Vancouver. Shortly after, two East Asian women, wearing protective masks, entered the bus and sat down. The man immediately directed his attention to the two women, stating words to the effect of “go back to your country; that’s where it all started.”

A woman who was sitting directly across from the man told him to leave the two women alone. This led to a brief argument between the man and woman where he allegedly threatened her. Moments later, the suspect allegedly jumped up and kicked the victim in the leg.

As the victim stood up to defend herself, the suspect allegedly reached over and violently pulled the victim’s hair, pulling so hard that a large clump of hair was pulled from her head. The suspect allegedly punched the victim numerous times in the head and wrestled her to the ground. While pinned to the floor of the bus, the victim was able to fight the suspect off.

The suspect left the bus and was last seen running away near Commercial Drive and East Hastings. The victim received bruising to her leg and suffered an injured scalp.

https://transitpolice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Suspect-Video.mp4?_=1

The suspect is described as a white male, 45-55 years old, approximately 5’6”, weighing 180 lbs, with a stocky build. He was wearing a red baseball hat with the letter “V” marked in the centre, a blue t-shirt, light grey sweat pants and blue shoes. He was carrying a dark grey jacket with a grey backpack.

Violence and racism have no place on the transit system, say Metro Vancouver Transit Police who would like to speak to anyone with information about the identity of this suspect or who witnessed this incident. Contact the Metro Vancouver Transit Police tip line at 604-516-7419 or text them at 87.77.77 and refer to file 2020-7645.