British Columbia

5-year-old boy assaulted while walking with family in downtown Victoria: police

The boy was walking with his mother and two siblings in the 1700-block of Government Street around 11:20 a.m. PT on Aug. 16 when a woman struck him in the face, Victoria police said.

Child was hit in the face in an apparently random attack on Monday morning, investigators say

Investigators say a boy was randomly attacked in downtown Victoria and are seeking witnesses, adding the area would have been busy at the time. (Victoria Police Department/Facebook)

Police are asking for witnesses to come forward after a five-year-old boy was assaulted in an apparently random attack in downtown Victoria.

The boy was walking with his mother and two siblings in the 1700-block of Government Street around 11:20 a.m. PT on Aug. 16 when a woman struck him in the face, Victoria police said.

They said the woman reportedly appeared dishevelled and was also allegedly yelling in the street.

The boy suffered non-life threatening injuries in the attack. Police were called after the mother and children got to a safe location.

"They did everything right in this situation. They called us. We attended. We searched the area. However, we have not been able to locate that suspect," said Const. Cam MacIntyre.

Police are calling for witnesses to aid the investigation, with MacIntyre saying there were many people in the area where the attack happened on Monday morning.

The suspect is described as a 30- to 40-year-old white woman, five feet six inches tall, with shoulder-length brown-blond hair. She was wearing blue jeans and carried a brown leather bag, police said.

Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call Victoria police's report desk at 250-995-7654 ext. 1, or to leave an anonymous tip with Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.