The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is urging young people to keep their heads on a swivel following a series of violent attacks involving teens..Investigations are underway involving several swarming attacks, robberies, and reports of violent rituals intended to demean and humiliate peers, said VPD, adding officers have encountered a “concerning” number of youth with imitation guns, bear spray, brass knuckles, and machetes near schools..While sitting on the steps at the Vancouver Art Gallery in early April, a teenage boy had a pellet gun held to his head by another youth. The incident wasn’t reported until hours later and the victim has yet to come forward. A suspect has not been identified..Gallery staff provided security footage of the incident to VPD..On April 16, two boys ages 14 and 15 were assaulted and held at knife-point in two separate incidents while walking in Kerrisdale after dark. Both boys had been surrounded by 15-20 teens near East Boulevard and West 41st Avenue and robbed of their backpacks, wallets, and electronics..Eight days later another incident was reported involving a 13-year-old boy. The boy was befriended online and lured from West Vancouver to Stanley Park on social media..Once in the park, a group of older teenagers swarmed the young boy, kicked and pepper-sprayed him before taking his phone. The group then assaulted a 63-year-old man who was walking nearby. The young victim was found bloodied and walking on the seawall..VPD is also warning parents and youth about recent bullying rituals where teenagers film themselves physically assaulting a lone victim until they fall to the ground. The victim is then forced to kiss the attacker’s shoes and the videos are sometimes posted online, according to police..“These incidents don’t just cause physical harm, they can lead to deep-rooted emotional trauma that leave permanent scars,” said VPD Sgt. Steve Addison..“Sadly, the very nature of these incidents often deters victims from coming forward, because they fear retribution and further humiliation.”
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is urging young people to keep their heads on a swivel following a series of violent attacks involving teens..Investigations are underway involving several swarming attacks, robberies, and reports of violent rituals intended to demean and humiliate peers, said VPD, adding officers have encountered a “concerning” number of youth with imitation guns, bear spray, brass knuckles, and machetes near schools..While sitting on the steps at the Vancouver Art Gallery in early April, a teenage boy had a pellet gun held to his head by another youth. The incident wasn’t reported until hours later and the victim has yet to come forward. A suspect has not been identified..Gallery staff provided security footage of the incident to VPD..On April 16, two boys ages 14 and 15 were assaulted and held at knife-point in two separate incidents while walking in Kerrisdale after dark. Both boys had been surrounded by 15-20 teens near East Boulevard and West 41st Avenue and robbed of their backpacks, wallets, and electronics..Eight days later another incident was reported involving a 13-year-old boy. The boy was befriended online and lured from West Vancouver to Stanley Park on social media..Once in the park, a group of older teenagers swarmed the young boy, kicked and pepper-sprayed him before taking his phone. The group then assaulted a 63-year-old man who was walking nearby. The young victim was found bloodied and walking on the seawall..VPD is also warning parents and youth about recent bullying rituals where teenagers film themselves physically assaulting a lone victim until they fall to the ground. The victim is then forced to kiss the attacker’s shoes and the videos are sometimes posted online, according to police..“These incidents don’t just cause physical harm, they can lead to deep-rooted emotional trauma that leave permanent scars,” said VPD Sgt. Steve Addison..“Sadly, the very nature of these incidents often deters victims from coming forward, because they fear retribution and further humiliation.”
