Nanaimo RCMP are still looking for an assailant who violently attacked someone sitting outside a tattoo shop on Nicol Street, and now believe there might be a connection between the two.
Police originally thought the attacker in the incident Tuesday was a stranger to the victim, but are now considering that the two might have a history.
“We’re working on that premise,” Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien said. “It’s so violent, we don’t think it’s a random incident, based on the evidence we’ve developed.”
A surveillance video obtained by CHEK News shows a group of people on the sidewalk at the tattoo storefront at about 10:30 a.m when the assailant appears to punch the victim in the head, knocking them over.
After that, there is a flurry of punches and kicks, and the victim is stomped on — even after they have stopped moving. The attacker then drags the victim back to the storefront.
The suspect had fled by the time police arrived at the scene.
O’Brien said the victim remains in hospital with potentially “life-altering” injuries.
The attacker has not yet been identified, O’Brien said. “We’re looking for him, we’re following up on active leads and we’re confident we’ll find him.”
Any witnesses or anyone with dashcam video of the scene is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
