Transit Police are issuing a warning to the public after a man was spotted repeatedly following a woman in Vancouver last week.
On Jan. 26, a woman boarded a 99B Bus at Main and Broadway and sat down at about 9:40 p.m. According to Transit Police, a man seated nearby got up, stood beside her and tried to start a conversation.
The woman then left the bus at Grandview and Commercial and while she was walking to the nearby SkyTrain Station, spotted the same man following her. While on the Commercial and Broadway SkyTrain platform, the woman told Transit Police she noticed the man was standing about two feet from her.
Concerned for her safety, she called her boyfriend and asked him to pick her up at the Rupert SkyTrain Station.
The suspect then sat near her while on the train and when she exited the SkyTrain and started walking southbound on Rupert Street, she saw him following her. Her boyfriend arrived moments later and after crossing the street, noticed the suspect ran away into a nearby parking lot.
The woman reported the incident to Transit Police about 24 hours later.
The suspect is described as a South Asian man, 30 to 40 years of age, 5’5″ to 5’6″ tall with a medium build and bald with a ‘comb-over’. He was wearing an over-sized black leather jacket and khaki pants at the time.
The Transit Police said reporting the incident was “the right thing to do” along with calling her boyfriend but there were other ways to report the incident immediately; which gives them a better chance of catching the suspect.
People who are victims of harassment on public transit can use the text code 87 77 77 to directly and discreetly contact Transit Police, push the yellow safety strip on the train, use the phone on platforms, call 911 or alert a train attendant.
“Passengers have the right to use transit free from harassment of any kind,” Transit Police Chief Doug LePard said in a release.
“We take every report seriously and investigate thoroughly. I encourage anyone victimized, or who witnesses this kind of behaviour, to contact us immediately.”
By: Paula Baker
