White Rock boardwalk empty after two random stabbings this week

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Despite assurances from authorities that everything possible is being done to resolve two stabbing incidents this week along a popular boardwalk, members of the White Rock community acknowledged Friday that they feel paralyzed by the fear.

In the wake of two attacks on two South Asian men, volunteer security patrols in the coastal community were suspended. Some parents have resorted to dropping their children off at school rather than letting them walk down the street. Businesses are also reporting a decline in customers.

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“I don’t feel safe being there on foot anymore,” said Gurmeet Gill, 50, a real estate agent who lives near the city’s boardwalk and uses his car much more to get around.

Typically during this time of year, the coastal area is populated with people walking their dogs and enjoying the beach views, even on rainy days, Gill said.

“There’s no one on the dock now but the police,” Gill said, noting that he has started taking his teenage son to and from high school.

“My family and I just don’t feel safe with a criminal like this on the loose. “Another stabbing like this could happen to anyone, not just South Asians like us.”

Kulwinder Sohi was stabbed by an unknown suspect Tuesday night while sitting in a public area east of the pier with a female friend around 9:30 p.m.

Homicide investigators believe Sohi, 27, and the suspect were involved in an altercation before he succumbed to his injuries.

The fatal attack occurred two days after a similar knife attack injured 28-year-old Jatinder Singh. Singh was sitting on a bench along the promenade with his wife when he was stabbed in the neck, apparently at random. Singh is currently recovering at home.

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In both cases, authorities described the suspect as a dark-skinned man, approximately 5 feet 11 inches, wearing a hat and a gray hoodie. The suspect was last seen fleeing north from the bloody spot near the boardwalk following Sohi’s death.

Sergeant. Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team told reporters Friday that while there are similarities between the two incidents, police have not established a link between the stabbings or whether the same person is responsible.

“We’re not going to jump to conclusions.”

At Friday’s news conference, police also said they are “not ruling out” the possibility that South Asian men were specifically targeted.

Mayor Megan Knight said the city is planning a public meeting, along with the RCMP, so residents can voice their concerns about public safety.

“White Rock RCMP and IHIT are exploring all possible leads. “I have full confidence in them that they will bring this person to justice.”

A day earlier, the province’s public safety minister said catching the suspect is a top priority.

“It is very, very worrying. I can tell you that the police are devoting a significant amount of resources to this. They are confident they will catch the individual,” Mike Farnworth said.

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Gagan Singh told Postmedia that after his friend Sohi was stabbed several times in the back, he turned around and tried to defend himself from further attacks.

“The girl who was with him that night saw it all. She told us that the killer even smiled as they fled,” Singh said on Friday.

Since Sohi’s death, her family has raised more than $50,000 online to repatriate her remains to India, where her parents live. He came to Canada in 2008 and worked as a plumber.

On Friday, an update posted to the GoFundMe page by Sohi’s brother, Gurleen, said what he wants most is justice for his brother.

“Please don’t donate any more money,” the post says. “We need his prayers and blessings so that my brother’s soul can rest in peace and we can do him justice.”

In the wake of the attacks, the Surrey Crime Prevention Society suspended the deployment of young volunteers to the coastal community. The society’s volunteers, most of whom are of South Asian descent, often survey the area for speeding drivers, graffiti and license plates of vehicles listed as stolen.

“They are no longer allowed to do foot patrols,” the society’s president, Mani Fallon, told Postmedia.

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While RCMP patrols have been increased in the area, White Rock business representatives say many local customers are choosing to avoid the neighborhood until a suspect is caught.

“We’ve seen fewer people in the coastal area, which has affected businesses,” said Leah Chandler, president of the White Rock Business Improvement Association board of directors.

“We are encouraging people to join the buddy system. It is very safe, as long as you are aware of your surroundings. Order takeout to continue supporting businesses at this time.”

But Dagan Becker, who was with his girlfriend in an apartment overlooking the beach the night of the fatal stabbing, said Friday: “My girlfriend is afraid to go out.”

“We watched (lifeguards) work on the poor man for half an hour before he died,” Becker added.

Anyone with information or dash cam footage from the area at the time of either attack is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or email. [email protected].

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