A 67-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries and a 61-year-old man has been arrested after a very public early morning attack at an East Vancouver gas station.
The incident happened around 6:30 a.m. June 1 at a gas station located at 3502 East Hastings St. not far from the city's eastern edge. Police say it started when a man used his car to ram a pedestrian on the gas station's property.
"He then got out of the car, and allegedly chased several people while holding a knife and a machete," the VPD says in a press release. "He reportedly punched a passerby, then turned his attention back to the pedestrian, stabbing him on the neck and back."
Police arrived on the scene as the suspect tried to steal a motorbike parked near the gas station's exit.
"We don't know if there was a motive for this attack, and the fact it appears random and unprovoked is extremely concerning," says Const. Tania Visintin in the release. "The victims and the suspect did not know each other, and did not appear to have any significant interactions before the attack."
Police note the same vehicle was fled police earlier on June 1.
"Before the incident, around 1:30 a.m., a man was seen driving the same vehicle erratically, and he fled from police in several Metro Vancouver cities," notes Visintin. "When the car was boxed in by police, the driver allegedly rammed in the police vehicle and fled again."
Footage of part of the incident was shared on social media before being deleted. In the video, a man can be seen walking around the pumps with what appears to be a knife and a machete in his hands. Multiple voices can be heard, including a man yelling in pain and another man yelling for people to "back the f*ck up."
The man with the weapons moves towards others, appearing to threaten them. The people quickly flee the immediate area.
With no one nearby he gets on a motorbike parked at the exit of the gas station as if he's preparing to drive away. As he sits on the bike more yelling can be heard off to one side and he gets off the bike.
He then lays on the ground, spread out, and a moment later police officers are seen approaching him.
At the same time, the video surveys the scene closer to the pumps. Two people can be seen on the ground, a little ways apart. One, who appears to be male, is holding his head.
Another is laying on the ground in a neon yellow safety jacket with people attending to him. The person shooting the video says one of the men had been stabbed.
"He got stabbed in the back, too," says the camera person. Paramedics are called for.
The footage then shows the weapons on the ground: one appears to be a long kitchen knife while the other is a longer blade with a significant curve at the end.
This story has been updated with more details from the Vancouver police.
