A man from Surrey, B-C, has been charged with aggravated assault in relation to one of two recent stabbings in the community of White Rock.
A statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 27-year-old Dimitri Nelson Hyacinth has been charged over the alleged assault of a 28-year man, Jatinder Singh, along the White Rock pier and promenade on April 21st.
Two days later, 26-year-old Kulwinder Singh Sohi was fatally stabbed in the same area, though R-C-M-P did not provide an update on any further charges.
Police say the man killed in a fatal stabbing attack in White Rock, last week may have tried to chase down the suspect who stabbed him.
Homicide investigators say witnesses told them that Kulwinder Singh Sohi, 26, was seen in a physical altercation with the suspect before giving chase on the White Rock Promenade on Tuesday evening.
"The original attack occurred about 75 metres west down the pathway," said Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesman Sgt. Timothy Pierotti at a news conference on White Rock's waterfront.
"What started with an attack led to a foot pursuit involving the suspect and the victim. It ended up coming towards (the conference site), and that's where the victim sadly collapsed and succumbed to his injuries."
Police said Sohi was attended to by emergency responders after the attack but died at the scene.
The stabbing death has shocked the White Rock community since another stabbing attack happened nearby just days earlier, when a man was injured but survived Sunday evening.
(1/3) We know that community members have concerns about safety in White Rock following the two recent events on our waterfront. To that end, we will be hosting a Town hall on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024 at the community center on Russell Ave. pic.twitter.com/TjCOKlSDfX
— White Rock RCMP (@WhiteRockRCMP) April 29, 2024
— White Rock RCMP (@WhiteRockRCMP) April 26, 2024
The description of the suspect in the fatal stabbing Tuesday, a Black man wearing a hat and a grey hoodie, is similar to the one from Sunday's attack, but police have not confirmed if the incidents are linked.
Pierotti said investigators are not "jumping to conclusions" that the attacks were perpetrated by the same suspect, but more video and witness accounts will help police positively identify the perpetrator in both cases.
"Just to be clear, we're talking about two different situations that occurred here," Pierotti said. "And to draw links between them … there's obviously similarities between them, but we can't confirm at this time that it is the same person responsible for both situations."
White Rock Mayor Megan Knight had said that she was "completely shocked" to hear about the stabbings, calling the attacks "terrifying."
Statement from Mayor Knight: Suspect Arrested.#WhiteRockBC pic.twitter.com/q9OvOBRieG
— City of White Rock (@whiterockcity) May 1, 2024
Incredibly relieved to hear someone has been arrested after these heartbreaking crimes here in #WhiteRock. I'm hopeful that this is the beginning of justice for the families impacted. #BCpoli https://t.co/8wYeWqoOmY
— Trevor Halford (@TrevHal) April 30, 2024
Some reports have noted that the victims of both attacks were South Asian males, but Pierotti said the police cannot "rule that out or confirm that."
He also said White Rock RCMP has stepped up patrols and police presence in the waterfront area, and the pubic should remain confident in their safety when visiting.
"As somebody who lived five minutes away from here for a number of years and who still regularly comes here with his family, this is a safe community," Pierotti said.
"This is a terrible thing that happened, and I can appreciate how it could shake the community. White Rock is not used to having incidents like this occur, but that just speaks to the safety of White Rock."
Police said a review of video evidence showed "many witnesses in the area" when the fatal stabbing took place, and anyone who saw the attack should contact police immediately.
