Two people hurt in violent sword attack in Vancouver neighbourhood

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Two men are in hospital in serious condition after a violent incident in a busy Vancouver neighbourhood Monday evening.

Vancouver police say they received reports a man with a samurai-style sword was assaulting another man around 7 p.m.

Shortly after, the 29-year-old male suspect is believed to have crawled through a window on the ground floor of an apartment building in the area of Spruce and West 12 Avenue.

Police arrived shortly after, and a woman who lives nearby says she saw the man try to escape from officers. Vanessa Pickering hid in the bushes with many of her neighbours and was able to watch the moment he jumped out of the building.

“We see this guy jump out of the [the second] floor window, through the shrubs, and then ran across 12th.” Pickering said she watched the police chase but left shortly after because she didn’t think it was safe to be there.

He fled from the building and jumped on a car at a nearby intersection, causing significant damage to the vehicle, according to Vancouver police.

VPD Sgt. Steve Addison says officers chased after the suspect. When he refused to stop, police deployed a Taser, and used a bean bag shotgun.

Addison says they believed he was a danger to himself and others, which is why they used these methods to stop him.

The suspect and a 59-year-old male victim were treated for serious injuries. Both men are believed to have received their injuries before police arrived.

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It’s unclear what happened, but Vancouver Police says it was not a random incident.

“We believe the suspect and the victim did know each other. Because of the quite serious injuries both of them sustained we have been unable to talk to either of them and to understand exactly what was happening before calling 911.”

Investigators are still looking for the sword, as well as more evidence.

“There were a lot of witnesses, a lot of people saw what happened and called us, and there a number of people who we haven’t spoken with yet,” Addison said, urging anyone with information to reach out.

The Independent Investigations Office of BC has confirmed to NEWS 1130 that it is not investigating.