Man charged after Vancouver senior hospitalized in unprovoked attack

A Vancouver police officer is pictured in Vancouver, on December 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

A 40-year-old man is in custody, facing a charge of assault causing bodily harm, after a Vancouver senior was hospitalized following an unprovoked attack in the city’s downtown core, according to police.

The 70-year-old victim was walking near Homer and West Pender streets at around 3 p.m. on May 16, when a stranger approached and allegedly pushed him to the ground.

“The suspect walked away without offering assistance to the injured victim, who required treatment in hospital,” the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

The suspect, Derrick James McFeeters, was arrested later that day on Granville Street, the statement said.

Court records show McFeeters is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing in Vancouver provincial court on Tuesday.

The same man is also facing charges of assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm, and resisting or obstructing a peace officer, following an unrelated incident on May 1, according to court records.