On June 9, 2016, at approximately 11:20 pm, a man boarded the SkyTrain at Commercial and Broadway Station, heading eastbound. He noticed three young men board the train at Sperling Station and call out to a female passenger that they were going to follow her home.
One of the men (now known as Suspect 1) then sat beside another woman and made jokes to his two friends about raping her. The first man stood up and sat down near this suspect, telling him to leave the woman alone.
Suspect 1 became aggressive, swearing at the man and threatening to follow him off the train. At Lougheed Station, the man got off the train and was followed by two of the suspects who punched him in the face and upper body, before getting back on the train.
The victim boarded on a separate car, held the door open and pushed the emergency strip inside the train. The three suspects again got off the train and Suspect 1 punched the victim in the face. Suspects 2 and 3 pulled Suspect 1 from the victim and they ran from the platform.
Good Samaritan Assaulted after Intervening in Sexual Harassment https://t.co/9q7qDpA7SP pic.twitter.com/G7QneiuWrP
— Transit Police BC (@TransitPolice) June 14, 2016
Metro Vancouver Transit Police officers arrived moments later and broadcast the suspect descriptions. Patrols of the area met with negative results.
The victim was taken to hospital with a bleeding nose and a sore left forearm.
He was treated and later released. Suspect 1 is described as a white male, 20 to 25 years old, 6 feet tall, thin build, short brown hair, wearing a red Hurley shirt, blue jeans and a black baseball hat.
Suspect 2 is described as a white male, early 20’s, 5’9” tall, medium to heavy build, short brown hair, short beard and moustache, wearing a blue NFL jersey with the name “Johnson” and the number “81” on the front and dark jeans.
Suspect 3 is described as a white male, 20 years old, 5’9” tall, heavy build, short brown hair, wearing a grey hoodie with red hood and sleeves, black shorts and grey skate shoes.
Anyone with any information regarding these three suspects or who may have witnessed this incident and not already spoken to police is asked to contact Transit Police at 604-515-8300 or text at 87-77-77.
While we would not suggest anyone put themselves in harm’s way, we commend the victim in this incident for taking the action he did in trying to protect this woman, and the witnesses who provided statements.
