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It was an attack on a senior citizen that shocked the community and disturbed police.
“We can all agree it was a heinous act,” said Comox Valley RCMP Inspector Mike Kurvers.
He was providing an update to Courtenay City Council on the investigation into the assault of 89-year-old Bob Plum who was attacked by a man with a machete while he sat in his car in downtown Courtenay in the early hours of July 31st.
Plum was out helping on his daughter’s paper delivery route when the assailant attacked him around 4 a.m. in what police call an unprovoked attack.
“He started slashing me with a machete at my head and he kept slashing at me probably seven or eight times,” Plum told CHEK News in an interview on Aug. 1.
Bob is now looking much better and continues on a slow recovery.
A family member says Plum has been in and out of hospital recovering since the attack but that he still can not see out of his left eye.
He may require more surgery on his hand that was badly sliced up as he fought off the attacker by grabbing the machete.
Police say the case remains a top priority and that dozens of businesses have been canvassed for their surveillance video.
“We canvassed probably close to 200 businesses for video surveillance and again it’s the same thing, people have surveillance but it’s of poor quality or it’s facing the wrong direction,” said Kurvers.
He says there is a lack of forensic evidence because there was no blood from the assailant inside Plum’s car.
He says progress is being made but did not elaborate.
After the attack, the suspect was described as a male in his 20s, with a dark complexion, wearing something on his head and riding a bicycle.
Anyone with information about the suspect should call the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321
Dean Stoltz
