Man arrested following two vicious hammer attacks in East Van

A Vancouver man is in custody after two people were beaten with a hammer in separate, seemingly random attacks Sunday night.

The first attack happened on the seawall near Science World at around 10:30 p.m., according to police.

A 67-year-old man was walking near Quebec Street at Terminal Avenue when an unknown man hit him in the head with a hammer from behind, knocking him to the ground.

The man was struck once more in the head and on the arm before a bystander came to his rescue. The victim was rushed to hospital with a broken arm and cuts to the head.

Half an hour later, a 49-year-old man was attacked with a hammer at Main Street at East Hastings. The blow knocked him unconscious, and paramedics rushed him to hospital in critical but stable condition.

Both attacks appeared to be at random, according to Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Randy Fincham.

"It doesn't appear that robbery was the motive," he said. "There were complete stranger attacks, where these two men walking, minding their own business, were randomly selected and attacked with a hammer."

Police say the suspect, a 27-year-old Vancouver man, boarded a bus and encountered officers a short while later at Main and Terminal.

He ran to a nearby McDonald’s restaurant and hid in the washroom, where he was taken into custody. Police are still investigating the motive for the attacks and are requesting two counts of aggravated assault.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to call police at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.