By Apna News
VANCOUVER, B.C. - A Vancouver paramedic was allegedly struck on the head by a stranger while treating a patient in the Downtown Eastside on Tuesday morning, and a 27-year-old man was arrested about a block away, Vancouver Police say.
Just after 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, the paramedic was assisting a patient near West Hastings and Abbott streets when a man approached and asked for water, police said in a November 5 release. While the paramedic was tending to the patient, the suspect allegedly struck him on the head before fleeing the area. The paramedic suffered minor injuries.
Vancouver Police officers responded and located the suspect one block away, where he was arrested. Police say assault charges are being recommended against the 27-year-old man. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The Downtown Eastside, centred on the Hastings corridor a short walk from Chinatown and Gastown, is one of the busiest areas in the province for ambulance calls, and BC Emergency Health Services crews respond there around the clock. The neighbourhood’s calls are handled by the same regional paramedic service that serves Surrey and the rest of Metro Vancouver, and attacks on first responders interrupt care for the patient being treated as well as for others waiting for an ambulance.
Vancouver Police have not released the arrested man’s name. No further details about the patient or the paramedic were released.
(Source: Vancouver Police Department, November 5, 2026)
