Man charged after Calgary tourists hurt near Gastown

A 34-year-old man has been charged after two tourists from Calgary were attacked near Gastown on their way back from a Bruno Mars concert in Vancouver, police say.

Vancouver police officers on routine patrol saw an altercation between a man and two people near Abbott and West Cordova streets at about 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release. Officers stepped in and handcuffed the suspect.

Police allege the man punched the male tourist in the arm with a sharp object believed to be glass, with enough force to push the woman he was with into a nearby light pole. Paramedics treated the man for a cut to his left forearm at the scene.

Derek Dale Driscoll, 34, is charged with assault, assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon, police said. He also had two outstanding warrants, one for an alleged breach of a probation order and one for failing to attend court. He remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing. The charges have not been tested in court.

The night of the attack was the last of Bruno Mars’s five shows in Vancouver, Daily Hive reported.

Anyone with information about the Oct. 21 incident can call the VPD non-emergency line at 604-717-3321.

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