Vancouver police arrest suspect after woman attacked at bus stop

UPDATE — Oct. 8, 2021: Police have now arrested a 21-year-old man in relation to the attack.

According to investigators, they received help identifying the man from a security guard at Pacific Centre Mall.

The man is now in police custody.

EARLIER STORY: 

Vancouver police are searching for a suspect after a woman was attacked at a bus stop in Vancouver on Tuesday afternoon. 

The woman, 22, was waiting at a bus stop near Knight Street and East 57 Avenue at 2:30 p.m. when she was approached by the suspect, according to police.

Police say the man held out a condom and showed a pornographic image on his phone before propositioning her for sex. She refused and walked away, after which the man kicked her from behind and knocked her to the ground, police said.

The woman, who did not have serious physical injuries, was able to run away. The suspect also fled the scene.

'Unique' description

Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison says the VPD felt it was important to alert the public before someone else gets hurt. He says police were able to get images of the suspect from a nearby business. 

"The description of the man is quite unique," Addison said. "We're quite confident that somebody knows this person, will recognize [this] description or recognize this image."

He described the suspect as an Asian man in his 20s with a small build, around five feet six inches tall with dark hair buzzed on the side and brown on the top. He had braces with red and orange elastics. 

Addison says he was wearing a red ski jacket with fur lined hood, a white hoodie, red pleather pants, and Air Force 1-style basketball shoes. He also had a black and red camouflage backpack. 

"This incident is more concerning in the sense that it was not just violent but [it] was sexual in nature, and that's a little bit unusual," said Addison. "That's why we've released this information now."

Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call VPD's Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-0600.