Man with history of violence, mental health issues, charged with slashing Vancouver police officer's leg

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 5:18 PM EST | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says an serviceman is recovering from superior injuries after being slashed successful the limb portion patrolling the Downtown Eastside connected Tuesday night. 

In a statement, constabulary said 2 officers were walking in the country of East Hastings and Main streets conscionable aft 7 p.m. erstwhile 1 of them was approached from down and "slashed connected the limb with an edged weapon."

The fishy fled the country connected ft but was located and arrested minutes aboriginal adjacent East Cordova and Main streets.

The injured serviceman received exigency archetypal assistance and was rushed to the hospital. He has since been released and is recovering astatine home, constabulary say.

'Suddenly and randomly'

At a quality league connected Wednesday, Const. Tania Visintin spoke retired astir the unit and the "unpredictable quality of constabulary work."

"This was wholly unexpected. It happened abruptly and randomly," she said of the attack.

Police accidental 29-year-old Solaris Onatta Running Dey has been charged with aggravated battle of a constabulary serviceman and battle of a bid serviceman with a weapon.

Dey remains successful custody until his adjacent tribunal appearance.

Court records amusement Dey was convicted successful 2020 of manslaughter successful the strangulation decease of a pistillate whom constabulary said helium knew.

In 2021, Dey was sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment, with a beingness prohibition connected possessing guns, restricted weapons, crossbows, and explosives.

At the clip of his sentencing the justice said helium had diagnoses for schizoaffective bipolar upset and substance induced psychotic disorders from aggregate substances including hallucinogens, crystal meth, cocaine and ace cocaine.

Visintin was questioned connected Wednesday astir the circumstances of Dey being in the Downtown Eastside. She said it should beryllium directed to other levels of government.

"Sometimes, we woody with radical that are violent, and we bash what we person to do, including penning up a precise elaborate study to Crown counsel ... and inquire for the due conditions oregon remand," she said.

"As a constabulary force, we are doing our part, and I deliberation that is simply a bigger speech for much levels of government."

At an unrelated quality league successful Victoria, Premier David Eby expressed empathy for the injured constabulary officer, "and to everybody who relies connected harmless and accessible streets successful the Downtown Eastside and successful downtown Vancouver."

He was asked astir whether an predetermination committedness of an involuntary attraction system, which would location people with intelligence wellness and addictions issues successful secure facilities nether the Mental Health Act could help forestall unit similar this.

Eby said enactment was ongoing nether Dr. Daniel Vigo — B.C.'s archetypal main technological advisor for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders — to clarify the ineligible parameters to holding radical nether the enactment successful centres.

"The enactment to place these individuals who are a menace to themselves, to different radical — proactively earlier there's an incidental — is simply a cardinal portion of his work," said Eby.

Eby said the archetypal correctional centre with attraction services volition beryllium astatine the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre and is slated to unfastened by the extremity of the month.

A 2nd tract — the archetypal unafraid lodging and attraction installation — volition beryllium connected the grounds of the Alouette Correctional Centre (Monarch Homes) successful Maple Ridge and would unfastened soon afterwards, said Eby.