North Vancouver RCMP have arrested a suspect and charges are expected soon in an assault that left a local restaurant worker with serious injuries.
The incident happened around 11 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2022, outside a pizza restaurant on the 100 block of West First Street. The staffer was taking the garbage out when he was struck with a blunt object and a gun, North Vancouver RCMP say.
After a lengthy investigation, officers arrested a North Vancouver man in his 20s in late March.
At the time of the assault, the restaurant’s owners posted about the incident on social media, saying it appeared to be a random attack. North Vancouver RCMP now say that’s not the case.
“This was a traumatic incident for the victim,” said Const. Mansoor Sahak, North Vancouver RCMP spokesperson. “It also affected the community’s sense of safety. The fact there were many unanswered questions at the start of the investigation left some people fearing for their own safety. We hope this arrest, and the understanding that this was believed to be a targeted attack, restores a sense of security and reassures people that North Vancouver is a safe community.”
There was some limited relationship between the suspect and the victim, Sahak said, although he couldn’t speak to any details while the matter is set to go before the courts.
Charges have not yet been sworn, but the investigators will soon be recommending the Crown lay counts of either assault with a weapon or aggravated assault.
The suspect has been released pending a future court date.
