Vancouver Police Respond to 1,200 Calls in a 40-Hour Time Span

A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform in Vancouver on Jan. 9, 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Vancouver police had a busy Thanksgiving weekend after a slew of incidents sparked hundreds of calls for help.

For approximately 40 hours, starting on Friday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m., the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) dealt with 1,200 calls.

There were 145 high-priority emergency calls, 23 calls related to weapons, 34 calls of assaults in progress, six people injured in a stabbing, and one person shot with a crossbow, according to Deputy Chief Howard Chow.

In the Downtown Eastside, a male victim in his 20s was shot in his chest by an assailant with a crossbow. The incident was reported to police on patrol by bystanders, according to Global News. Someone removed the arrow from the young man’s chest and applied pressure to the wound before the man was rushed to hospital, police said. Investigators believe the shooting resulted from an altercation earlier in the day.

In a separate incident, a stabbing at the Crab Park homeless encampment left several people injured. Police say they were patrolling the area around 3 a.m. on Oct. 8 when two victims flagged them down for help.

As victims and bystanders fled the area, police arrested a 42-year-old suspect as he tried to leave. He has been charged with attempted murder.

Three identified victims were all badly wounded, a man in his 30s, a man in his 40s, and an unidentified man. Police think there may have been more victims and are encouraging them to come forward.

There was also a police presence at multiple protests, the largest being an anti-hate rally held at the Komagata Maru memorial in downtown Vancouver. Police say the Komagata Maru memorial was damaged for the second time in 14 months on Oct. 5, causing a protest from the West Coast Coalition Against Racism with approximately 8,000 people on Oct. 8.

The first time the monument was vandalized, it led to a four-month investigation, resulting in the arrest of Yuniar Kurniawan, who was charged with mischief.