Female Tourist Beaten by Previous Offender in Vancouver Stranger Attack

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

A female visitor to Vancouver suffered injuries after a suspect with previous assault charges repeatedly punched her and kicked her in the face on the morning of Oct. 13.

The 35-year-old victim was walking near the cruise ship terminal at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver just before 9 a.m. when a man suddenly assaulted her, according to an Oct. 15 press release from the Vancouver Police Department. Officials said the suspect and the victim did not know each other and had no previous interaction before the attack.

“We’re thankful to the bystanders who called police so our officers could respond immediately and collect valuable evidence that led to the quick arrest of the suspect,” said Sgt. Steve Addison in the release.

Police arrested a suspect at a residential building approximately three hours later with the help of police service dogs. Massimo Rosario Falvo, 30, was charged with one count of aggravated assault in connection with the incident.

The victim was taken to hospital with injuries, and the suspect remains in custody, police said.

Falvo was convicted on May 28 of multiple offences committed in previous years, according to B.C. court records. He was convicted of two counts of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault for an incident on June 23, 2022 in Coquitlam, B.C.; one count of assault for an offence on Oct. 14, 2023 in Vancouver; and one count of assault for an attack on Nov. 3, 2023 in the same city.

Police did not say if Falvo has a history of mental health or addictions.

Stranger Attacks in B.C.

Random attacks became such a problem in B.C. in recent years that it was one of the main reasons the province recently pledged mandatory care for those with severe addictions who are mentally ill.

The announcement came after a series of particularly violent unprovoked attacks. In one of them, a suspect with a history of mental illness left a 70-year-old man dead and another victim with a severed hand in downtown Vancouver on Sept. 4. Brendan Colin McBride, 34, was arrested in connection with the incident. He had more than 60 police records and was on probation at the time of the attack.

Later that day, four teens were attacked on a popular Vancouver Island trail by a stranger who sprayed them with bear mace and stabbed one of the youths before fleeing. A suspect was found behaving “erratically” before being arrested by police.

Kai Seppala, 32, faces eight assault- and weapon-related charges in relation to the attack. Seppala has a previous criminal record, including two counts of assault.

In the first half of 2023, there was an average of roughly one random attack per day in Vancouver, the city’s police department told The Epoch Times. It went down from 1.8 stranger attacks per day in the first half of 2022, and 4.5 random attacks per day in the first half of 2021. Officials said the decline was likely due to increased public awareness and more police funding.

Last month, the national union for RCMP officers called on whichever party wins the upcoming B.C. provincial elections to deliver a “fulsome safety plan” that prioritizes public safety and bail reform. They described the current bail system as a “catch and release” framework that compromises public safety by not monitoring repeat offenders.

Provincial elections are scheduled for Oct. 19.

Tara MacIsaac and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.