Visually impaired senior attacked by stranger in downtown Vancouver, police investigating

Police are seeking witnesses to an unprovoked attack on a visually impaired senior in downtown Vancouver last month.

Vancouver police say a 69-year-old man was punched in the stomach by a stranger while in thecrosswalk at Thurlow and Albernistreets around 11 a.m. on March 31.

The victim, who was walking with a cane and wearing a bright yellow, high-visibility jacket at the time of the attack, did not suffer physical injuries, police said. The suspect left the scene before police arrived.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Vancouver police.

The report of the attack comes after city officials said last month that safety concerns over the number of recent unprovoked stranger assaults have poured into city hall along with calls to provide more housing and mental healthsupports for vulnerable residents.

Police have said there are more than four unprovoked stranger attacks in the city a day, according to a review of reported assaults between Sept. 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021.

Police saidthey took on the analysis following what appeared to be an uptick in random assaults. However, there is no data available from previous years to confirm a surge.

Total reported annual assaults in Vancouver have ranged between 3,921 and 4,608 over the past five years.