Police in Surrey have identified a male suspect who allegedly assaulted a woman in a home earlier this month, but authorities have not been able to locate him. A B.C.-wide warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jason Donald Whyte, 54, who has been charged with one count of assault with a weapon, the Surrey Police Service said in a public appeal for assistance Monday. The alleged assault occurred on April 3 at a residence in the 17600 block of 58A Avenue, according to police. Whyte was not arrested at the scene but was identified and charged the next day, police told CTV News in an email. Records show the case is a “K” file, a designation the B.C. Prosecution Service uses for cases involving alleged intimate partner violence. Surrey police also confirmed Whyte is the same man that was the subject of a previous news release from B.C.’s anti-gang unit. At that time, police said Whyte had been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in 2016 to six weapons offences and was described as a “Vancouver Island gang associate” involved in firearms trafficking. Anyone who has information about Whyte’s whereabouts is urged to call the Surrey Police Service’s non-emergency line at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 26-30729. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.
