The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is crediting three strangers for stopping a violent robbery attempt.
The incident happened Saturday night (Sept. 7) around 9 p.m., when a shopkeeper was leaving a store in Mount Pleasant.
The 23-year-old woman was grabbed from behind by a man just after she left work.
The man, whose face was concealed and was carrying a knife, threatened to stab her. The woman called for help as she was dragged into a nearby laneway.
A passerby heard the woman calling for help and flagged down two men in a passing car.
"Together the three Good Samaritans began yelling at the suspect until he released the victim and fled. One of the men called 9-1-1," reads a press release from the VPD.
While the man fled the scene, police quickly flooded the area with more than 30 officers, police dogs, and crime watch volunteers.
At 10:30 p.m. a suspect was located in a vehicle near Ross Street and East 43rd Avenue (near Memorial South Park).
The suspect, a 59-year-old man, is in police custody. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and is recovering.
“Three total strangers acted bravely and decisively when a fellow citizen was in danger, and in doing so they stopped this violent crime in progress,” says Sgt. Steve Addison in a press release. “We are grateful to these three men for their quick thinking."
