Vancouver police have arrested a woman after a series of alleged stranger assaults in the Downtown Eastside on Monday, including one involving a one-year-old baby.
The mother was walking with her baby in a stroller along East Hastings Street near Princess Avenue at about 4:40 p.m. when she was approached by an unknown woman. The mother told police the woman demanded money, and during the altercation the suspect grabbed the baby by the hair. No one was physically injured.
CCTV cameras then captured a woman matching the suspect’s description punching an unidentified man in the face nearby. About 10 minutes later, police received a report of a woman matching the description attempting to steal alcohol from a nearby liquor store.
Officers attended and arrested the suspect. She was taken to jail and then to hospital for a pre-existing condition. Police are requesting assault charges and a warrant upon her release from hospital.
The file remains under investigation.
Source: Vancouver Police Department news release, October 6, 2026
