Coronavirus: Suspected racist attacker of 92-year-old Asian man identified by Vancouver police after ‘overwhelming’ public response
- A suspect was identified less than 24 hours after police released a video of the assault on the elderly man, who has dementia
- Police did not say whether an arrest had been made
Vancouver police say they have identified a suspect in a racially motivated assault on a 92-year-old Asian man with dementia, who was thrown to the ground outside a convenience store by an attacker who shouted slurs about Covid-19.
The suspect was identified less than 24 hours after police asked the public for help on Wednesday. They released a video of the incident, which took place on March 13 at a 7-Eleven store on the city’s Eastside, long associated with this western Canadian city’s working-class Chinese community.
Police credited an “overwhelming” public response with identifying the suspected attacker.
“VPD investigators have made significant leads and have identified a suspect,” the department said on Thursday morning.
“Police would like to thank the community and partners for their overwhelming support on such a serious, intolerable incident.”
The name of the suspect was not released and police did not say whether he had been arrested.