Halloween festivities took an ugly turn early Sunday as Vancouver police responded to stabbings that left five people injured.
Bars, restaurants and the Granville entertainment district were packed with revellers celebrating Halloween on Saturday night before things turned violent.
Three people, all men in their 20s from White Rock, were stabbed at about 1:30 a.m. after getting into a fight with another group of men at a bar near Oak Street and West Broadway. Their birthday celebration ended with three of them being taken to hospital with serious injuries. Two remained in hospital Sunday afternoon. The suspects fled.
Less than an hour later, officers had to break up a large fight between two groups on Granville Street. Two men in their 20s were taken to hospital with stab wounds to the face, hands and torso. No suspects were identified.
“At this stage in the investigations, we believe these stabbings occurred in two separate and unrelated incidents,” said VPD spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison. “We believe these crimes were targeted, and resulted from prior confrontations between the victims and the suspects.”
Addison said the weekend before Halloween is always a busy one and the stabbings “stretched our resources thin during a critical time.” He said dozens of officers were also required for large protests and events at the PNE, Rogers Arena and the Lions Gate Bridge.
Other police calls over the weekend included:
• A man in his 20s needed stitches after he was slashed in the face during a fight near Howe and Nelson streets early Saturday morning. The victim was injured when he tried to break up a dispute between two strangers.
• A witness called police saying someone claimed to have a gun during a fight between two groups at a restaurant near Denman and Davie at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday. The suspects left in a taxi but officers intercepted the cab and seized two loaded handguns from a man in his 20s.
• A man in his 20s was walking in Chinatown Saturday evening when he was threatened by a stranger with a knife. He called police and a suspect was caught trying to take off on a bike when he missed a gear and the chain fell off. He was taken to jail and charges are pending.
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