A 37-year-old Surrey man has been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assaults of four women at or near Granville SkyTrain Station on Friday, May 13.
Transit Police have not released the suspect’s name as he has not yet been formally charged. He was released on conditions and is set to appear in court on July 13. Among those conditions are a “No Go” order to any SkyTrain property as well as Pacific Centre Mall.
Police say a woman was sitting on a bench inside the mall when a man touched her hip and tried to pull her toward him. A security guard yelled at him then called police.
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After that, police say, the man allegedly attempted to grab another woman’s “pubic area” but she blocked him. Then, he allegedly touched yet another woman’s breast while making “sexually explicit” comments. She responded by using the emergency phone on the SkyTrain platform to call for help.
A fourth woman was walking out of the station, police say, when the man allegedly stepped in front of her, grabbed her wrist as tried to pull her into a business. Police say she screamed for help as he allegedly shouted lewd comments. Their struggle drew the attention of bystanders who helped her break free.
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Const. Amanda Steed of Transit Police said police officers arrested their suspect, assisted by multiple witnesses as well as loss prevention officers from a nearby Hudson’s Bay department store.
“We would never ask that anyone put themselves into harm’s way, but these individuals’ actions can only be described as heroic,” she said. “Transit Police would like to thank the bystanders who assisted the women.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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