Police have identified a suspect in a random stranger assault at Metrotown mall this week but they aren’t releasing a name because no charges have yet been laid.
Area resident Zenia Marshall took to social media this week, saying she had been assaulted at the mall Monday.
She said she had been walking with a friend and the attack was “completely unprovoked.”
In subsequent media interviews, she said a woman “came out of nowhere” “bee-lined” towards her and shoved her with both hands “full force.”
“I’m okay, but I would hate to see anyone victim to her attacks in a situation more serious and life endangering,” Marshall said in her social media post.
Marshall posted photos of the woman who allegedly pushed her and linked her to other random Burnaby assaults.
Burnaby RCMP confirmed police got a report of a woman being pushed inside the Metropolis at Metrotown mall at around 7:15 p.m. on Monday.
“The victim did not require medical treatment, but it is concerning to Burnaby RCMP anytime an incident like this happens,” read an emailed statement.
The detachment said it was aware of “posts on social media” about the incident but was not able to confirm the name of the suspect since charges haven’t been approved.
The incident has drawn attention to other recent stranger assaults in the Lower Mainland.
In Burnaby, however, such attacks have declined over the last two years, according to local police.
There were 356 stranger assaults reported in Burnaby in 2020; that fell to 282 in 2021, according to Burnaby RCMP statistics.
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