Nanaimo RCMP, firefighters and BC Ambulance converged on an area bordering Port Place Mall last night after a man allegedly was struck with an axe.
The call came in shortly after 5 p.m. The attack happened at a bus stop along Front Street bordering the shopping centre.
Police say the two men involved knew each other and BC Ambulance transported the victim, 30, to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
There are a number of police officers near Port Place Mall after a witness tells chek NEWS a man took an axe to the head shortly after 5 pm. The two men exchanged words before the altercation. BC Ambulance took the victim to hospital @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/8z5Kuw9vSG
— Kendall Hanson (@Kendall_Hanson) February 5, 2023
Orville Drake who witnessed the attack said he’s friends with both the men. He said one took offence to what the other had to say and he pulled out the axe and struck the other man.
“I was scared,” said Drake on seeing it unfold. “He (the victim) was knocked out (unconscious).”
The man with the axe then fled the area.
Police say they have identified a suspect but have yet to locate him. RCMP were unable to find the axe.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345, and quote file # 2023-4037.
The axe attack comes 13 days after a man fatally stabbed another man in the parking lot of Port Place Mall.
This past week the B.C. Prosecution Service approved a second-degree murder charge against Sean Patterson for the death of Serguei Chiliakhov.
The photos below may disturb some viewers.
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- Paramedics attending to the victim of an alleged axe attack. (Submitted)
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- Police on scene following the Nanaimo axe attack. (CHEK News)
Kendall Hanson
