Police say naked man arrested after alleged assault on stranger in B.C.

Police in Port Moody, B.C., arrested a naked man at a popular park after he allegedly assaulted a stranger and armed himself with a knife in a restaurant.
Const. Sam Zacharias with the Port Moody Police Department said several 911 calls came in about the assault, which allegedly took place at Rocky Point Plaza shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday night.
"We do occasionally have disorderly type of conduct in the park, but this is certainly far beyond that," Zacharias said.
The naked man allegedly assaulted another man, Zacharias said, then ran into a nearby restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, the man allegedly armed himself with a knife and brandished it in what Zacharias described as "a threatening manner."
Zacharias said police were on the scene within two minutes of the calls. He said officers arrested the suspect nearby without further incident, and no one sustained any serious injuries.
"My understanding is the park was still quite busy even though the sun had gone down, there were still quite a few park-goers in in the vicinity," Zacharias said.
"That obviously makes this perhaps even more brazen and somewhat more concerning."
He said the 48-year-old man has been charged with assault, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and committing an indecent act in a public place.
Investigators are still determining the man's motivation, Zacharias said, adding that alcohol and mental health challenges may have played a role.
Zacharias said that police spoke with several witnesses at the time of the incident, but anyone with more information should contact the Port Moody Police Department.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

26 minutes ago

• Yahoo

1 dead, 1 injured in stabbing at homeless shelter in Toronto, 1 in custody

A man has died in hospital and another man was injured after being stabbed inside a North York shelter Sunday afternoon, Toronto police say. A man in 70s has been arrested in connection to the incident, said Acting Insp. Todd Jocko, duty senior officer for the Toronto Police Service. Both victims are in their 50s, Jocko said. The stabbing happened at the shelter located in the area of Wilson Avenue and Beverly Hills Drive. Police were called to the area shortly after noon. When officers arrived, they tried to save the life of one man who was in life-threatening condition, Jocko said. Toronto paramedics took both men to hospital. The one in life-threatening condition was pronounced dead there. The other man who suffered non-life-threatening injuries is still in hospital. "We understand that these incidents are alarming and concerning for people in the community. Please rest assured that we are dedicating all the necessary resources to this investigation," Jocko told reporters near the scene. Jocko said there is no threat to the public and there are no outstanding suspects in the stabbing. Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation. Jocko said there will be an increased police presence in the area as officers continue to investigate. Anyone with information is urged to come forward to police.

CBS News

38 minutes ago

• CBS News

Pittsburgh police, other law enforcement agencies called to disperse large crowd on South Side

Pittsburgh police say they had to call in extra help from neighboring law enforcement agencies early Sunday morning to safely disperse a large crowd of people who had gathered on East Carson Street. No one was injured and no property was damaged, but before that, the South Side Entertainment Patrol made several arrests. Some were gun-related, others had to do with fights. Citations were given for public intoxication, underage drinking, and public urination. Big crowds on East Carson are nothing new at 2 a.m. for South Side neighbors. "I didn't bat an eyebrow about it," a resident who goes by Vinny said. Vinny says the crowds pick up each weekend after he and most others are already asleep, around the time bars close up. "It happens because everyone is intoxicated, everyone's drinking," he added. In Sunday's case, police had to call in help from surrounding departments to clear out what they estimated was a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 people, with some of them fighting each other. Once help from other departments arrived, police were able to quickly clear the crowd, a statement from Pittsburgh Public Safety said. "It's a shame because this has been going on for five years. We know where and when it's happening, and the city can't stop it," said business owner Rich Cupka. "We have a lack of police. We're 150, 200 short." Cupka says the fact that the police couldn't clear the crowd on their own proves his point. "Law and order would take over if you had enough police to police the area," Cupka added. Then-Police Chief Larry Scirroto said in September 2024 that the problem on the South Side isn't due to a lack of officers, but rather bars aren't being held accountable. "I'm thankful that we have a level of cooperation to hold problematic business owners accountable," Scirotto said in September. "For far too long, some of the businesses over there, and there are just a few to be quite honest, that operate in a manner that they don't take accountability for the actions and behavior of their patrons, as if once those individuals get outside, it's the responsibility of the police and not the responsibility of the bar ownership to regulate the type of client they solicit and more importantly, their behavior." Cupka disagrees, saying that while certain bars are an issue, the lack of police is the main problem. "I don't see any relief in sight," Cupka said. On the weekends, 25 police officers are assigned to the South Side in addition to the 10 that are part of the Entertainment Patrol. Business owners say overall crime on the South Side is down, and Vinny believes the unfortunate reality is that the South Side has gotten a bad rap. "Everybody just have a drink. Come to the South Side. It's all good down here," he said, adding that visitors shouldn't let what happens late at night keep them from visiting.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

She was sexually assaulted in a rideshare. She's not alone — but companies won't share Canadian data

When Emily ordered a ride through a rideshare app after hanging out with friends six years ago, she thought she was making a safe choice. Then, she was sexually assaulted by her driver. Two years after the driver pleaded guilty to sexual assault, Emily decided to sue him and the rideshare company in civil court. The lawsuit is still winding its way through the court system. "I was relying on the rideshare company to get me home safe and instead they put me in a car with my rapist," Emily said. Radio-Canada has changed her name and has not named the rideshare company to protect Emily's identity. In the past two years, at least five rideshare drivers have been arrested in connection with a sexual assault or convicted in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, based on police data. But it's unclear how comprehensive that number is. That's because, despite having done so for the U.S., companies such as Uber and Lyft have not released data on alleged sexual assaults in Canada. Several lawyers say the companies should be more transparent about such cases. "They are touting a safe service," said Toronto lawyer Simona Jellinek. "Show us how safe it is. Prove it." Meanwhile, Toronto-based lawyer Darryl Singer says he has worked on around a dozen cases in the last five years involving someone suing a rideshare company after an alleged sexual assault. Several cases are ongoing, he told CBC Toronto in May. Most of his cases are in the GTA, he said. In 2019, one of his clients, a woman from Toronto, sued Uber and a driver for $5 million. The lawsuit was settled, he said. Reports involving rideshares have increased "notably" since 2020, said Toronto police spokesperson Nadine Ramadan in an email to CBC Toronto. "These increases are more pronounced than the overall trends for assaults and sexual violations city-wide," she wrote, adding the increase may coincide with an expanded use of ride-sharing services since 2020. Uber and Lyft condemned incidents of sexual assault in emails to Radio-Canada. Both platforms provide in-app safety measures. Uber lets passengers share their trip details with someone else and has an emergency assistance button that allows users to call 911. Lyft also offers a location-sharing function. The company says it "monitors rides for unusual activity, like long stops or route deviations." "If we notice anything off about your ride, we'll contact you to see if you need help," Lyft says on its website. But Emily said these measures gave her a "false sense of security." "Unfortunately, there are still bad people out there that also use these apps," she said. Lyft has "incorporated a number of features to promote safety" for riders, including screening processes for drivers, spokesperson Allison Guthrie said. Meanwhile, Uber spokesperson Gabriela Condarco-Quesada said the company is "constantly seek[ing] new ways to improve safety … before, during, and after every ride." But Singer said the companies should do more to screen their drivers. People who want to drive for Uber or Lyft in Toronto have to follow a series of steps, starting with a background check conducted by the companies. The companies then apply for a licence on behalf of the drivers. The city reviews the applicant's criminal record check and driving record before issuing the licence. One ground of refusal for a licence is the conviction for "any sexual offence under the Criminal Code in the preceding ten years," according to the city's website. If the city becomes aware of any breaches of its screening criteria, it notifies the companies and "they are required to immediately remove the driver," city spokesperson Shane Gerard said. But with nearly 80,500 people licensed to drive for rideshare companies in the city in December 2024, according to a recent report, a criminal background check alone is not sufficient, Singer said. "Somebody may never have had a criminal record before precisely because they've never been convicted," he said. Singer would like to see applicants interviewed before they begin driving. "I can't imagine in my office hiring somebody based on an exchange of text messages through an app," he said. Singer said the City of Toronto "could easily" require rideshare apps to publish sexual assault data annually to continue operating, as they have done in the U.S. The city has published data from rideshare companies before, such as the number of trips made in the city. But while riders can file a complaint on the city's website against a driver regarding the conditions of their vehicle, any complaint related to the behaviour of the driver must be filed directly with the company. WATCH | Most criminal charges laid in Ontario are tossed before making it to court, data shows: Neither city staff nor Mayor Olivia Chow's office responded when asked if they had asked rideshare companies operating in Toronto to share sexual assault data. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Transport Canada said the federal department has no involvement in the regulation or oversight of rideshare operations. In its latest U.S. report, Lyft said 2,651 cases of alleged sexual assault by drivers and passengers were reported to the company between 2020 and 2022. That amounts to one case for every 540,000 trips, it said. Lyft said it will continue to monitor the situation in Canada, but did not commit to publishing Canadian data. Uber said 2,717 alleged cases of sexual assault by drivers and passengers in the U.S. were reported to the company between January 2021 and December 2022 — one case for every 700,000 trips, according to the company's latest report. A spokesperson for Uber said the company will "continue to evaluate future opportunities to publish additional reports." Both companies said cases of sexual assault are exceedingly rare. Burlington lawyer Laura Hillyer, who has represented victims of sexual assault in rideshare vehicles, said rideshare companies should be more transparent in releasing data about all alleged crimes during trips. "If I go out for dinner with my friends in the city and I choose to walk home alone in the dark, I know what risk I'm taking," she said. "I don't think people fully appreciate the risk that they're taking when they get into a rideshare because I don't think the risks are fully disclosed." Meanwhile, for Emily, while taking her case to court has been no easy feat, she says speaking out has taught her an important lesson. "I've learned I'm stronger than I thought I was and more resilient than I thought I could be," she said. "And unfortunately, that I'm not alone."