Thread by @joannachiu

NEW: Man punches woman, yanks out her hair after she stands up for Asian women on Vancouver bus, authorities say in latest possible #COVIDー19 related attack. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar @starvancouver #cdnpoli #yvr #vancouver

.@TransitPolice are asking for help identifying the man who allegedly attacked a woman, punching and kicking her and pulling her hair so hard he removed a “significant” amount.

The woman had spoken up after he verbally berated two Asian women. thestar.com/news/canada/20… #COVIDー19

Two Asian women were wearing protective masks on the bus.

“Go back to your country; that’s where it all started," the suspect shouted.

That was when the female bystander spoke up to defend the two women, telling the man to leave them alone. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

Here's a video with more information from @TransitPolice. Members of the public can contact the Metro Vancouver Transit Police tip line at 604.516.7419 or text them at 87.77.77 and refer to file 2020-7645.

https://twitter.com/CstMYake/status/1260258703820779520

This is the kind of issue no reporter wants to end up covering on a regular basis. @wanyeelii and I have been tracking attacks in B.C. related to anti-Asian hate for @TorontoStar. Earlier, public helped police identify a suspect who attacked a 92-year-old. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

I wasn't able to even watch the video here. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

And come on... Vancouver woman finds racist graffiti on mother’s memorial bench globalnews.ca/news/6909467/r…

I columnized about this in March, the same month #Vancouver police later said they saw a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents. thestar.com/opinion/2020/0… @TorontoStar #COVIDー19 #Covid_19

The woman who defended the Asian passengers from the verbal abuse was able to fight off the suspect's attack.

“While pinned to the floor of the bus, the victim was able to fight the suspect off. The suspect left the bus and was last seen running away..." thestar.com/news/canada/20…

The alleged attack happened April 15th. Why the delay? I asked Vancouver police earlier and they said: "There are many different avenues to investigate a file. One aspect of an investigation is calling on the public for help.” thestar.com/news/canada/20… @VancouverPD

With anti-Asian sentiments rising, Asian people are imagining what life will look like post pandemic thestar.com/news/gta/2020/… by @nkeung

Updated with comments from Vancouver city councillor @PtFry thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar @starvancouver

ICYMI must-read piece commenting on the spate of anti-Asian incidents across Canada, by @crystalpher_ thestar.com/opinion/contri… @TorontoStar @starvancouver #COVID19

#Breaking: Suspect in bus-passenger attack has died, Vancouver transit authorities say thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar @starvancouver #yvr #bcpoli #vancouver @TransitPolice

#Vancouver transit police say the suspect in a violent attack on a woman who stood up for two Asian passengers on a bus has died from an apparent drug overdose.

Authorities appealed for public help in identifying the man Tuesday. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar #COVID

This is really tough. The fact the suspect seemed to have struggled with very difficult issues doesn't change the fact that people might still be scared to come across someone like him in public. Any resources or research on how to approach these concerns? thestar.com/news/canada/20…

The B.C. government declared a public health emergency in 2016 when overdose deaths began to spike. Since then more than 5,000 people have died of illicit overdoses. thestar.com/news/canada/20…