A Vancouver senior is in critical condition after he was stabbed in the chest Wednesday by a stranger at a coffee shop.
Vancouver police spokesperson Const. Lindsey Houghton said Mohamed Amer, 30, has been charged with one count each of attempted murder and obstructing a peace officer in the 3 p.m. stabbing.
The 71-year-old man was sitting by himself in a Waves Coffee House in the 400-block of West Hastings Street when Amer allegedly sat next to him and attacked, Houghton said.
“He (allegedly) took a knife he had (hidden in) his pants and stabbed the elderly man in the chest to the shock of others who were sitting nearby,” he said. “The suspect then allegedly stood up and pushed the knife further into the victim’s chest.”
There was no warning or provocation for the alleged attack.
The victim called out for help and several people in the coffee shop rushed to his aid.
Houghton said the suspect just stood there and waited for police to arrive, and he was arrested with no incident. Amer has been previously arrested for mental health-related incidents, he added.
Police will be asking the courts that Amer undergo a psychiatric assessment.
The suspect, of no fixed address, is also known to police for property and violent crimes across Canada.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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