Arrest warrant issued for accused in axe attack who failed to show for court in Vancouver

A Vancouver provincial court judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of Steven Henry Hall after he failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance on Tuesday.

Hall, 30, is accused of striking a stranger with a small axe earlier this month before stealing his sunglasses. He is charged with one count each of robbery and breach of probation.

Vancouver police patrol officers arrested Hall on May 13 after the 50-year-old victim was found bleeding from his face near East Hastings and Main streets.

Two weeks before the alleged axe attack, Hall was found guilty of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm related to an incident in October 2024. He was handed a one-year suspended sentence, according to online court records, while a second charge of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose was stayed.

Records show Hall has been found guilty multiple times for breach of probation, with convictions for resisting arrest, break and enter, theft and weapons possession dating back to 2018. 

In 2019, CBC reported that Hall suffered injuries from a police dog after VPD officers witnessed him breaking into a house.

The VPD credits "Task Force Barrage" as key in Hall's latest arrest. Task Force Barrage is a $5 million program to increase policing in the Downtown Eastside, Gastown, Chinatown and Strathcona.

According to data released by the VPD, since launching in February, Task Force Barrage has seized 745 weapons, 79 guns and made 414 warrant arrests.