Vancouver tourist attack suspect has violent history: court docs

A man accused of assaulting a tourist in Vancouver over the long weekend has a history of committing violent offences, according to court documents obtained by CBC News.

Massimo Rosario Falvo, 30, allegedly repeatedly punched and kicked a 35-year-old woman in the face on Sunday as she was walking near the entrance of the Waterfront SkyTrain station by Canada Place shortly before 9 a.m. PT, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).

The woman suffered multiple injuries and was treated in hospital, police said.

The suspect and victim did not know each other and hadn't previously interacted before the assault occurred, according to VPD Sgt. Steve Addison, who called it an "incredibly disturbing, violent stranger attack."

"By all accounts it was completely unprovoked," Addison told CBC News, adding that the woman was a visitor to Canada. 

Addison did not provide more details about the woman out of respect for her privacy.

While the attack happened beside the cruise-ship terminal at Canada Place, the Port of Vancouver said the woman was not a cruise passenger.

"Vancouver's cruise sector is very safe, and we are not aware of any public safety incidents involving visiting cruise passengers at the Canada Place terminal in recent years," it said in a statement.

Falvo was arrested at a rooming house near East Pender Street and Columbia Street and has since been charged with aggravated assault, police said. He remains in custody.

On probation for past assaults

Falvo was on probation during the time of the alleged assault, court records show.

He was sentenced in May to three years probation and one day in jail for simple assault, assault causing bodily harm and two counts of assault. The offences occured in 2022 and 2023 in Vancouver and Coquitlam against two men and two women. 

He pleaded guilty to assaulting a man and a woman on the same day, according to court documents. 

Falvo was also charged with obstructing a peace officer, though that charge was stayed. 

He received one day of jail time after the court took into account his pre-sentence custody of 22 days, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service. 

This latest alleged random assault comes after a man was fatally stabbed and another had his hand severed in what police say were unprovoked attacks in downtown Vancouver last month.

'Deterioration of people's sense of safety'

VPD Chief Const. Adam Palmer called at the time for changes to Canada's bail system to stop violent offenders from cycling in and out of the justice system.

On Wednesday, Addison said unprovoked stranger attacks "cause a deterioration of people's sense of safety," though he noted these types of attacks are down in Vancouver, according to crime statistics.

"By no means is the problem solved and there's still a lot of work for us all to do but we're making significant progress," he said.

Falvo appeared in court Wednesday and is scheduled for a bail hearing on Oct. 22.