THE assault and mugging of a man near West Esplanade and Lonsdale has some residents questioning the safety of the Lower Lonsdale area.
On Tuesday, according to police, a man in his early 40s was attacked and robbed of $600, his bank card and a black watch a little before 7 p.m.
Julie Minichiello, the victim's sister, said that her brother was on the phone and walking his dog when he was attacked.
"He heard fast footsteps coming at him," she said. "He punched one attacker and then the other attacker tackled him down. They both got on him and then stole his wallet and watch. Two people saw it and helped chase the attackers away."
Minichiello said that her brother was not seriously hurt, and that he left the next morning for Disneyland with his daughter.
Alexi Makris, co-owner of Anatoli Souvlaki, saw the incident while across the street in his restaurant.
"We saw these guys walking toward him, really big, covered in tattoos. They looked really rough, like thugs," Makris said. "In broad daylight they jumped him and stole his stuff. . . . It's crazy that this would happen in our neighbourhood.
"I think the area is a lot worse than we think."
The police at the scene of the crime told Minichiello's brother that this has been happening a lot lately, she said. In fear of her own safety, she phoned the RCMP the next morning to confirm.
"I phoned the RCMP to confirm that (this had happened before), and they did confirm it," she said. "They confirmed that it was not an isolated incident."
Cpl. Richard De Jong, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP later said there had been was a miscommunication, and that this was in fact an isolated incident.
"Including this one, there have only been two incidents in the Lower Lonsdale area since May of this year," he said.
The other incident was an attempted robbery, which had two different suspects that have already been charged, De Jong said.
"It's very unfortunate what happened to the victim, nobody deserves that. I think that it is in everybody's best interest to realize that this was a random act," he said. "There isn't an ongoing instance where people are being mugged or robbed on Lower Lonsdale."
Police are still investigating and are asking any witnesses to come forward. The assailants are estimated to be in their early 20s, each approximately 5 foot 10 inches tall with slim builds and short, dark hair.
