One person was left with stab wounds after a selfless act in Vernon, B.C., allegedly turned violent.
“He just did a good deed, tried to break up an assault against a female, and next thing you know, he’s stabbed,” said witness Ryan Marchand.
Around 4:45 p.m. Thursday along Centennial Drive in Vernon, witnesses say they saw a man and a woman fighting, but things quickly escalated when a bystander intervened.
“Two homeless people were in an argument and the male was hitting the female. So, this guy wanted to step in and stop it, then those two people started hitting this guy,” said another witness, Justin Thrift.
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Witnesses report seeing the two suspects stabbing the victim and striking him with a hammer, before fleeing the scene.
Police say during the attack against the bystander, a fourth person jumped in, helping the man flee from his attackers.
“The guy ran down the hill with his girlfriend and there were a couple of individuals who saw and they started chasing the assailant down the hill,” said Marchand.
While waiting for emergency services to arrive, Marchand says he rushed to tend to the victim’s injuries, which police have since confirmed are non life-threatening.
“I know he’s got four stab wounds to the torso and a pretty bad laceration to the back of his head,” said Marchand.
Police say a 41-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were subsequently arrested and are facing a number of potential criminal charges.
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