Three girls groped by stranger on Vancouver seawall, incidents may be related

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Three girls were groped on Vancouver’s seawall Tuesday afternoon. Police say the incidents may be linked, and suspect there were other victims who have not yet come forward.

At around 4:30 p.m. two 11-year-old girls were walking near Granville Island when “when an unknown man passed them on a bike and groped one girl from behind,” according to the Vancouver Police Department. The man then followed the pair to West 6th Avenue and Borch Street where he “groped” the second girl. Fifteen minutes later, a 15-year-old jogging near Science World was also assaulted by a man on a bike.

“These girls were all near the seawall when a stranger on a bike grabbed them from behind and sexually assaulted them. Each victim did the right thing by telling a trusted adult and reporting the incidents to police so an investigation could be launched immediately,” says Sgt. Steve Addison in a statement.

“Investigators don’t yet know whether the incidents near Granville Island and Science World are linked, but think there may be other victims who have not yet come forward.”

In both cases, the suspect was riding a red and white bike, and wearing a baseball hat. The descriptions of what the man was wearing are slightly different.

Anyone with information is asked to call VPD’s Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-0601.

RELATED: Vancouver volunteers return to Granville Street amid increase in stranger sexual assaults

Three girls were groped on Vancouver’s seawall Tuesday afternoon. Police say the incidents may be linked, and suspect there were other victims who have not yet come forward. https://t.co/IrGCyn94cX pic.twitter.com/gYimSYv1nm

— CityNews 1130 Vancouver (Inactive) (@news1130) August 19, 2021

Sexual assault, in general, is an underreported crime. In the majority of cases,  the perpetrator is not a stranger. However, the VPD has noted an increase in stranger sexual assaults in the city, and issued a warning last week.

In July of 2021, 16 sexual assaults in which the perpetrator was unknown to the victim were reported to the Vancouver Police Department. Overall, police received 39 reports during this period, meaning these assaults made up roughly 40 per cent of reported assaults. A spokesperson noted this represented a 129 per cent increase in reports compared to July of 2019. That year, there were also 39 reports, but only seven were cases where the accused was a stranger, meaning these attacks accounted for less than 20 per cent of overall reports.