Tourist attacked by stranger near cruise ship terminal, Vancouver police say

Accused attacker appears in court The beating of a female tourist in downtown Vancouver by a complete stranger this weekend has left some in the community on edge.

A suspect has been arrested and charged after an allegedly unprovoked attack on a woman visiting Vancouver.

Vancouver police say the 35-year-old victim was walking near the cruise ship terminal at Canada Place around 9 a.m. Sunday, when she was assaulted by a stranger.

“She was repeatedly punched and kicked in the face, and sustained multiple injuries that required medical attention at hospital,” police wrote in a news release Tuesday.

The suspect and victim did not have any interaction before the assault, which several people witnessed, police said.

After collecting video of the suspect at the scene, the Vancouver Police Department says a canine officer and police dog arrested him around 12:30 p.m. at a residential building in Chinatown, near East Pender and Columbia streets.

Massimo Rosario Falvo, age 30, has now been charged with aggravated assault and remains in custody.

Falvo was on probation at the time of Sunday’s attack, after pleading guilty to four counts of assault earlier this year, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed to CTV News.

He was sentenced to one day in jail after spending 22 days in pre-sentence custody, and three years of probation.