VANCOUVER, B.C. - A 50-year-old man has been charged with assault and mischief after a taxi driver was punched in East Vancouver on Wednesday evening, Vancouver Police say.
On October 28, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Vancouver Police received a report from a caller that an unknown man had damaged a vehicle’s side mirror near Butler Street and East 46th Avenue, and then left the area.
A second call came in just after 8:00 p.m., reporting an assault at Tyne Street and East 47th Avenue by an unknown man with a similar description.
The victim, a taxi driver, told police the man approached him while he was inside his taxi. When the driver refused to give him a ride, the man allegedly punched him in the neck, then punched the taxi multiple times.
The driver watched the man until officers arrived at the scene and took the suspect into custody. Brent David Hasman, 50, was transported to jail and has now been charged with assault and mischief.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
Source: Vancouver Police Department news release, “Suspect arrested after assaulting taxi driver, damaging vehicle,” October 29, 2026.
