Latest news with #VancouverPolice
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Man charged with sexually assaulting girl, 14, in public washroom in Vancouver
A suspect has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl in a public bathroom in Vancouver on Wednesday, police say. The alleged assault was part of an "alleged crime spree" that included a second assault and a bank robbery at a bank, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said in a release. All of the alleged crimes occurred at an office building at Cambie Street and West 41st Avenue, near Oakridge Centre. A 58-year-old woman was leaving a medical appointment in the building when a man allegedly grabbed her and assaulted her around 5:15 p.m. PT, police said. She screamed and managed to get away without serious injury. Minutes later, a 14-year-old girl was using a public washroom in the building when she was allegedly sexually assaulted and forcibly confined by a stranger armed with knife, police said. The suspect escaped after another person tried to enter the washroom, according to the release. Police said the suspect then entered a bank on the ground floor of the building and allegedly robbed it. He was taken into custody around 5:40 p.m. John Frederick Field, 62, of Surrey, B.C., has been charged with assault, sexual assault with a weapon against a person under 16, forcible confinement, carrying a concealed weapon, and robbery, police said. He remains in custody. Field was subject to a Canada-wide warrant in 2022 when he failed to return to a halfway house after receiving statutory release from the maximum-security Kent Institution in Agassiz, B.C. At the time, VPD deemed him a "high-risk sex offender" and a significant risk to the public. He was arrested four days later by Surrey RCMP. He was serving a sentence for sexual assault, break and enter, and robbery and theft at the time, and police said he had a history of committing violent offences while under the influence of drugs. He was arrested four days later by Surrey RCMP.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Suspect arrested, charged in murder in Vancouver's CRAB Park
Police tape and a white tent were set up in CRAB Park after a body was found on the beach on March 22, 2025. (CTV News) Two months after a man was found dead in Vancouver's CRAB Park, a suspect has been arrested and charged with murder. The Vancouver Police Department said homicide detectives apprehended the suspect in the Alberta community of Red Deer on April 10. B.C. prosecutors have since approved one count of first-degree murder against 47-year-old Jason Hynatyshyn. Authorities also identified the victim Friday as 51-year-old Brett MacDonald. His death marked the city's first homicide of 2025. Police said MacDonald was shot on the northwest side of CRAB Park, along a gravel walking path, on the morning of March 22. A passerby spotted his body and called police. Hnatyshyn remains in custody pending his next court appearance, authorities said.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Man faces multiple charges after robbery, assaults in Vancouver crime spree
A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform in Vancouver, on Jan. 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck A 62-year-old man is facing a string of charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement, in connection to a crime rampage that involved two assaults and the robbery of a bank in Vancouver Wednesday afternoon. The spree began around 5:15 p.m. with the assault of a woman in an office building at Cambie Street and West 41st Avenue, near Oakridge Centre, the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement Friday. The woman, 58, had been leaving a medical appointment when a stranger grabbed her and assaulted her in a hallway. The woman screamed and was able to escape without serious injury, police said. 'Minutes later, a 14-year-old girl was using a public washroom in the same building when she was sexually assaulted and forcibly confined by a stranger who was armed with a knife,' the statement said. During the assault, someone attempted to enter the washroom, resulting in the suspect fleeing the scene. As police responded to a call relating to the assault, the suspect was entering a bank on the ground floor of the same building to commit robbery. Just 25 minutes after the spree had begun, the suspect was located by police, arrested and taken into custody. Surrey man John Frederick Field, 62, has been charged with sexual assault with a weapon against a person under 16, forcible confinement, carrying a concealed weapon, robbery and assault. He remains in custody, police said. Field was considered a high-risk offender by the VPD when he disappeared from his halfway house after being let out on statutory release from Kent Institution in 2022. Field was rearrested a few days later. In their statement at the time, police said the then-60-year-old was 'considered a significant risk to the public.'
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Student changing incident at Vancouver school not criminal, police say
There was nothing criminal about an incident at a Vancouver school that raised the concerns of a local mother earlier this month, according to police. Jasmine Barahona spoke out after her six-year-old son returned home from χpey̓ Elementary on May 7 wearing different clothes, and told her a man had changed him in the school's basement. The incident prompted separate investigations from the Vancouver School Board and the Vancouver Police Department, and a school district staff member was placed on leave. On Thursday, police confirmed their investigation has concluded. 'It was determined no criminal offence occurred,' Const. Tania Visintin told CTV News, in a statement. Visintin also said the mother 'did the right thing' by coming forward. 'Any time anyone comes forward with safety concerns or safety concerns for their child, we will absolutely conduct a thorough investigation,' she added. Contacted for comment, Barahona told CTV News she had not been informed of the outcome of the investigation – and that she still has questions about what happened at the school. 'All I wanted was answers,' Barahona said, of her decision to speak out. The mother said she's been told the incident happened because an employee thought her son 'looked wet.' 'His story was that he let (my son) pick out clothes in this room, then he stood outside as he got dressed and said, 'If you need help, say so.' And he said he did, and then helped him pull up his pants,' Barahona said. The mother said she's received inconsistent messages from the district and police, leaving her skeptical about the process. She pulled her son out of class following the incident, and remains unsure about allowing him to return. The Vancouver School Board told CTV News its internal investigation is ongoing. A spokesperson could not provide any information on the process, citing privacy concerns, but said the district is taking the mother's concerns 'very seriously.' 'Our top priority is student safety and well-being,' the spokesperson said. With files from CTV News Vancouver's Isabella Zavarise
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Sex offender arrested following reports of masturbating man in East Vancouver
Skylar Wayne Pelletier is shown in this photo provided by the Vancouver Police Department on Feb. 26, 2024. Police arrested a high-risk sex offender while responding to reports of a man publicly masturbating in East Vancouver this week. Skylar Wayne Pelletier, 25, has since been charged with committing an indecent act. In a news release, the Vancouver Police Department said officers were called to the area of Woodland Drive and East Broadway on Wednesday after a man was reportedly seen 'masturbating in a lane and looking into houses.' Officers found Pelletier nearby and took him into custody, authorities said. Police described the suspect as a 'convicted sex offender who is currently serving a five-year long-term supervision order for convictions of sexual assault, assault, and break and enter.' Last year, Pelletier was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant over concerns about his behaviour while living under supervision in a designated facility in Vancouver. He was re-arrested on Feb. 29, 2024, in the city's downtown core. Some of the conditions of his release included prohibitions against drinking alcohol, using drugs, associating with his victim and visiting Chilliwack's Salish Park. Pelletier was also ordered to report all contacts with women or girls to his parole supervisor and abide by a 6 p.m. curfew.
