Metro Vancouver Transit Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly stabbed a senior over a dispute regarding a SkyTrain seat.
In a news release, Transit Police said a 67-year-old man boarded an eastbound SkyTrain at Scott Road Station shortly after 1 p.m. on Dec. 4. As he attempted to sit down, he accidentally bumped into another man who was about to sit in the same seat.
The senior ignored the accidental bump and moved to a different part of the train.
“Moments later, the suspect allegedly approached the victim, got close to his face and demanded an apology. The victim pushed the suspect away into a nearby seat and attempted to hold him down until help could arrive when he felt a sharp pain in his side. The victim looked down and allegedly saw that the suspect had a knife in his hand,” police said in the release.
As the SkyTrain arrived at the Gateway Station, the suspect ran off the train and out of the station. The victim remained on the train and was met by SkyTrain staff and Transit Police at Surrey Central Station. The victim was taken to hospital with multiple stab wounds. The victim remains in hospital in serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Transit Police and Surrey RCMP were unable to locate the suspect. The suspect is described as a 5’7” tall man, weighing approximately 130 pounds, with possibly a moustache or goatee. He was wearing a black jacket with a dark hoodie pulled over his head, grey pants and carrying a leather satchel.
“The details surrounding this attack are deeply concerning. The level of violence that this man used over something as mundane as being accidentally bumped into is shocking. Transit Police is committed to identifying the suspect as soon as possible before he has the opportunity to hurt someone else,” Const. Mike Yake said in the release.
“We are asking the public to take a good look at the photographs of the suspect. We feel confident that anyone who can help us identify him will do the right thing and contact us immediately.”
Anyone with any information regarding the identity of this suspect or who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact Metro Vancouver Transit Police at 604-516-7419 or text at 87-77-77.