SOUTH VANCOUVER – A mysterious fight in a back alley in South Vancouver has left one South Asian man is in critical condition and another South Asian man recovering from head injuries after being found early last Sunday morning.
A witness called 911 to report hearing a disagreement and officers arrived at Fraser Street and East 50th Avenue around 1:30 a.m. to find two men on the ground about 150 metres apart, both injured — one of them critically.
A 44-year-old who was found unconscious at the scene remains in critical care in hospital, while the other, a 45-year-old, has been treated and released.
Const. Jana McGuinness said police have a few leads, but are still working to piece together exactly what happened.
“We do have some avenues we’re following up, but we could really use assistance from the public in case anyone saw anything — a suspicious vehicle, or any suspicious circumstances in the lane.”
It’s unclear if the men were attacked or involved in a fight. McGuinness said police have yet to obtain a statement from either of the men, both of whom live in the area but have no clear connection to each other.
Though there are few clues about what transpired, police say alcohol may have been a factor. Investigators are urging witnesses to come forward if they have any information about an incident.
Residents living on East 50 Avenue, just one block west of Fraser Street, told the Province newspaper it is not uncommon to hear people coming home from the bars late at night. But the violence that happened in the 500-block of the laneway is unusual they say.
“It is normally a quiet neighbourhood around here,” said Sarabjit Sandhu. “We get some drinkers yelling late at night but nothing like this.”
Jerry Bassi, who also lives on East 50 Avenue, also said it can be loud at night but there is no violence.
“There’s never been any fights,” he said. “The odd idiot walks through. There’s a lot of drunks walking through here all day.”
Investigators say both men live in the busy area but there’s no word on whether they know each other.
Anyone who may have witnessed the fight or what led to it is asked to contact the VPD robbery and assault squad at 604-717-2541 or CrimeStoppers.
