Police release video of woman tripping senior in Burnaby, ask public for leads

Burnaby RCMP say they want the public's help identifying a suspect in the assaultof an 84-year-old woman.

Police released video Thursday of an April 3 incident on Central Boulevard near the Metrotown SkyTrain Station in Burnaby.

The video shows a woman walk over to the victim who is using a walker, trip her and then walk away.

Police said the victim was "shaken and thankfully not seriously injured."

Police said the victim was Asian. They said nothing so far suggests she was targeted because of her ethnicity, but "based off of what we are currently observing taking place in neighbouring municipalities, it is an active investigative avenue."

"In recent weeks, police have noted some concerning incidents in which members of the Asian community in our city have been targeted," the statement from Cpl. Michael Kalanj read.

"Burnaby RCMP has responded to calls for service in relation to victims who were subjected to racial slurs and others where a business had racist graffiti sprayed in and around their premises."

Police issued a description of the suspect:

• Female.
• Wearing a face mask.
• Dark brown hair.
• Wearing black tights, long dark puffy jacket and light shoes.
• Carrying a beige purse.

In their statement, police described the suspect as "possibly Asian."

When asked for an explanation, Kalanj, in an email, said police don't know the suspect's ethnicity for certain and reiterated that there is no information suggesting the victim was targeted for her ethnicity.

"However, with what we are currently seeing in neighbouring municipalities, we thought the public would ask the question and our answer is we can't say for sure," Kalanj saidvia email.

"This is why we would like the public's assistance in identifying the suspect so we can start answering these questions."