Vancouver police are seeking witnesses to a violent assault in the early hours of Saturday, Feb. 29.
The incident occurred outside the Fairview Pub on West Broadway around 2 a.m. and has left a 49-year-old Vancouver man in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“We want to gather as much evidence as we can to find out why this incident happened,” said Vancouver police department spokesperson, Sgt. Aaron Roed at press conference Monday. “Our investigators have been working hard to gather as much evidence as we can. We were able to identify the subject right away, but the victim remains in hospital and we do not have a lot of information from him.”
VPD have requested that anyone with dash cam footage, or who was in the pub or on the sidewalk to come forward to assist the investigation. “We do have information on why this happened, but only from a certain viewpoint, so that’s why we’re looking for more information,” said Roed.
Vancouver Courier reporter, John Kurucz, was at the Fairview Pub at the time of the incident, performing with a Faith No More cover band.
“After we finished our set, we were in the midst of loading our gear out and getting everything into the van and I heard two gentlemen arguing,” said Kurucz. “The aggressor kept yelling ‘Apologize! Apologize!’ I didn’t witness the […] blow with my clear, direct line of sight, but the sound that his head made when it hit the concrete will be with me for the rest of my life.”
According to Kurucz, many of the witnesses outside the pub immediately phoned 9-1-1, while others helped to stabilize the victim. “There was blood coming out of his ears. There was a lot of blood. I’ve never seen blood coming out of someone’s ears before,” said Kurucz.
According to a recent VPD report, 2019 saw a 7.2 per cent increase in violent crime in Vancouver, which included an 11.2 per cent increase in assaults.
“I’ve played hundreds of times in Vancouver, all over the city,” said Kurucz. “I can count on one hand how many times after a show that I’ve witnessed violence outside. It’s a rare occurrence.”
VPD are asking for anyone with information about this incident to call VPD Major Crimes Section at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
