Police say an attempted violent robbery in East Vancouver over the weekend could have been much worse if not for the heroic actions of three bystanders.
It happened in Mount Pleasant around 9 pm Saturday as a 23-year-old woman was leaving work.
According to a Vancouver Police Department (VPD) release, she was grabbed from behind by a knife-wielding man whose face was concealed.
He allegedly threatened to stab her before pulling her into an alley as she called out for help.
It was then that a 29-year-old man walked by the area, heard the woman’s cries for help and saw her struggling with the suspect.
Sgt. Steve Addison says the man immediately flagged over a passing vehicle with two other men inside and the three of them yelled at the suspect until he released the woman and fled.
“Three total strangers acted bravely and decisively when a fellow citizen was in danger, and in doing so they stopped this violent crime in progress,” Addison explained.
“We are grateful to these three men for their quick thinking, and for the actions they took to help someone in need.”
The men also called 911, which prompted a swift police response of more than 30 VPD officers and members of the VPD’s canine unit.
Once they arrived at the scene, they provided care to the victim, collected crime-scene evidence and began searching for the suspect, who was identified as a 59-year-old man who frequents the area.
Around 90 minutes after the initial incident, the suspect was located in a vehicle near South Memorial Park, around five kilometres away, and arrested.
