Police trying to identify man who assaulted 16-year-old girl in BC this summer

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is putting an ongoing assault probe back in the public eye.

Investigators are still trying to identify a man who allegedly assaulted a 16-year-old girl over the summer in downtown Vancouver.

“This case remains unsolved because we have not yet been able to identify the suspect,” says Cst. Tania Visintin. “We hope that by releasing these images, someone who knows the suspect, or the suspect himself, will come forward.”

It was early in the evening of Aug. 25 that the victim and her friend boarded the 250-line bus at Park Royal in West Vancouver.

According to police, the pair spotted a man on the bus during the ride who they thought was staring at them, which prompted them to comment aloud to each other about his behaviour.

When they got off the bus at Pacific Centre downtown, the VPD says the man allegedly followed them and then assaulted one of the teenaged girls.

“A witness intervened to stop the assault, however, the suspect walked away before police could respond,” noted a VPD release.

Police say the suspect, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, is a Caucasian man who stands around six feet tall.

He has receding hair and wears glasses, the VPD adds, and was wearing an orange BC Lions golf shirt, cream-coloured pants and blue and white Adidas shoes at the time.

Anyone with information that could help investigators identify the suspect in this case is urged to contact the VPD at 604-717-4021.