RCMP investigate stabbing that injured member of Vancouver Whitecaps youth training program
Police say motive has yet to be determined, but Whitecaps say attack was 'racially motivated'
Police are investigating a stabbing in Burnaby, B.C., that has left a 17-year-old member of the Vancouver Whitecaps male academy program with serious injuries.
The soccer team said in a statement Sunday that three members of its male academy program were assaulted at an outdoor gathering Saturday evening in Burnaby that sent one player to hospital.
The Whitecaps say the attack was racially motivated.
RCMP say they are are aware of the allegations but have yet to establish a motive.
"This investigation is being taken very seriously," said Burnaby RCMP Insp. Matt Toews.
"We are aware of the allegation that racial slurs may have been used during this altercation which will form part of our investigation as we work to determine a motive. Our investigators are actively looking at all aspects of this incident."
Burnaby RCMP says they were called to Hastings Street and Kensington Avenue at 11:40 p.m. on Aug. 14, after reports of a stabbing.
There, they found a 17-year-old suffering from stab wounds.
Police say a suspect was taken into custody, following a search using a police dog.
The suspect, also 17, is a Burnaby resident. Investigators are working to determine whether the suspect and victim, neither of whom have been publicly identified, were previously known to each other.
RCMP said in a news release that dozens of young people had been partying outside when a confrontation between multiple people broke out, possibly involving pepper spray and racial slurs, prior to the stabbing.
The stabbing victim remains in hospital in serious but stable condition. Police say no one else was seriously injured.
Police are asking anyone with information on what happened that night to come forward — witnesses are asked to call 604-646-9522.