Police in New Westminster say a pair of incidents—a stabbing and a pellet gun shooting—that occurred in the city on Halloween night are linked. The stabbing occurred around 7:20 p.m. in the 400 block of Front Street, the New Westminster Police Department said in a statement Wednesday. Officers were called to the area around that time for reports that “three suspects had assaulted a man riding a bicycle,” the statement reads. “Witnesses reported seeing the suspects leave the area with the victim’s bicycle before disappearing from view,” it continues. Despite “extensive patrols,” officers were unable to locate either the victim or the suspects, police said. A short time after the first call, police responded to what they called “a weapons incident” in the 500 block of Front Street. In that call, a man had been shot in the face “with what is believed to have been a rubber pellet gun,” police said. “The man suffered a cut to the head but did not co-operate with investigators,” the NWPD statement reads. “During the investigation, officers determined that he was also a suspect in the earlier assault.” The man was taken to hospital for treatment and later released, police said, adding that the person who fired the pellet gun had not been located. “Later that evening, investigators learned that a man had been located in a neighbouring jurisdiction suffering from injuries believed to have been sustained during the New Westminster assault,” the statement reads. “The victim was transported to hospital and treated for multiple non-life-threatening stab wounds.” Investigators later discovered evidence associated with the stabbing near the scene of the original assault call, the NWPD said. Currently, police believe the two incidents are connected and the individuals involved “were known to one another,” according to the statement. Police said their investigation is still “in its early stages,” and investigators are working to determine “the full sequence of events and the relationship between those involved.” “Despite it being an exceptionally busy Halloween night, officers continued to follow leads and piece together what occurred,” said Sgt. Andrew Leaver, in the statement. “We are asking anyone who witnessed these incidents, or who may have been in the area at the time and captured video footage, to contact investigators.” Police asked anyone who witnessed the incident or has video or other information to call the NWPD at 604-525-5411.
