Woman shoved in unprovoked stranger attack in Metrotown, police investigating


Burnaby, BC-

A shopping trip turned violent when a stranger approached Zenia Marshall and shoved her.

“I saw her and boom, she pushed me with both hands,” Marshall told CTV News.

The incident happened around 7:15 pm Monday at Metropolis at Metrotown.

Marshall said she was stunned because neither she nor the friend she was with knew the woman.

She was not hurt but felt like she couldn’t brush it aside, because stranger attacks should not be tolerated.

“It could have been in front of the SkyTrain; it could be in front of a bus stop; it could be in front of other places,” she said. “I don’t feel safe exactly anywhere considering all the random attacks going on around the city, around the world even.”

She reported the incident to mall security, who advised her to contact Burnaby RCMP.

Cpl. Brett Cunningham said Mounties are investigating and have identified a suspect.

“It’s troublesome because the attack is unprovoked. So in this case, there’s nothing that we believe the victim could have done to prevent something like this,” he said. “This type of criminal activity is very concerning to the community, so in cases like this, we would often recommend criminal charges of assault.”

There have been other stranger attacks caught on camera in Burnaby.

On April 3, 2020, a woman approached an elderly woman using a walker and appeared to intentionally trip the senior, causing her to fall to the ground.

In 2017, a woman allegedly kicked a small dog.

Police are investigating to see if there is a connection.

“We haven’t laid that charge yet. I can’t identify the suspect in this case or link it to any other prior cases, although we are examining whether this is a pattern of behaviour,” Cunningham explained.

Marshall said she is sharing her story to warn others and to take a stand against stranger attacks.

“I just don’t want other people to go through that. I want other people to know that you are valid in bringing these things up,” she said.


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