A New Westminster woman suffered multiple stab wounds in the second stabbing incident in New Westminster within two days.
The New Westminster Police Department received a 911 call from a residence in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10. When they arrived at the residence in the 800 block of St. Andrews Street, police said they located a victim who was suffering from multiple stab wounds.
“The victim’s condition is stable. The victim is expected to make a full recovery,” said Insp. Andrew Perry of the NWPD. “Luckily, the location of the stab wounds were not to vital areas and was not life threatening. That’s the positive news. From my understanding, she still remains in hospital in stable condition.”
According to a NWPD press release, after removing the victim from the home and placing them in the care of BC Ambulance, officers located a suspect inside the home. Police report the suspect fled the scene, but was safely taken into custody by police officers a short distance away.
“There was a short foot pursuit where he was then taken into custody a short distance away,” Perry said. “He didn’t make it very far before we were able to get him into custody, luckily.”
Perry said the police department’s major crime unit and forensic identification services members are currently interviewing witnesses and examining the crime scene.
“I’d like to thank all first responders involved in this file,” he said. “This was a dangerous situation for everyone involved.”
According to the NWPD, this incident is not believed to be a random attack or gang-related.
Perry said it’s unclear at this time whether the victim and the suspect, a male in his 20s, were known to each other.
“That we don’t know 100% right now,” he told the Record. “We are still exploring the nature of the relationship, if it exists or not.”
The police department is asking anyone who witnessed the incident to call the major crime unit at 604-529-2430 to speak to an investigator.
Perry said other residents were inside the home where the incident occurred. When officers arrived at the scene, he said their immediate concern was for the victim and others in the residence.
“Luckily no one else was hurt, but yes, there were other people in the residence,” he said. “I don’t know offhand how much they were at risk, but obviously when you are in the same residence, there’s obviously a significant risk to them that we were concerned about.”
Busy night
Around the same time that police were responding to the stabbing incident, officers were also called to Sapperton in response to reports about a gathering of youths.
“NWPD were called to respond to a party on Richmond Street and numerous youth dispersed when we arrived, some into the nearby park,” said Hailey Finnigan, the NWPD’s strategic communications coordinator. “We’d like to remind everyone that city parks are closed at dusk.”
Tuesday’s incident in the Brow of the Hill marks the second stabbing in New Westminster in recent days. About 2 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 8, police attended a stabbing at the Paramount Gentleman’s on Columbia Street.
“Upon arrival, patrol officers located the victim and provided life-saving first aid until BC Ambulance arrived,” said a NWPD press release. “The victim was transported to hospital where he received care for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.”
In that incident, police reported that two suspects were located a short distance away and were arrested following a short foot pursuit.
“Obviously, we are very pleased in both the recent stabbings that we were able to apprehend the suspects within a short distance,” Perry said. “That obviously makes a difference in the investigation and hopefully helping to keep people safe.”
