Suspect identified in assault on Vancouver sex worker

East Hastings Street signage is seen in this file photo from April 2018.

Authorities have identified a suspect in a violent assault on a sex worker in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside earlier this week.

The Vancouver Police Department said officers found the suspect while conducting patrols near Oppenheimer Park.

"Officers have now seized the man’s vehicle and are continuing to investigate," the VPD said in a news release Friday.

The suspect's name has not been released because he has yet to be charged, authorities added.

The victim was attacked by a man who picked her up in his car near East Hastings Street and Campbell Avenue on Monday.

The woman suffered undisclosed injuries.

Authorities previously provided a description of the suspect as a white man, between 40 and 50 years old, who weighs around 300 pounds and has a receding hairline. He was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants at the time of the alleged assault.

While their investigation continues, police encouraged other sex workers in the neighbourhood to "remain vigilant."