Four violent incidents in Vancouver and Surrey: stabbings, robbery, and a homicide at Crab Park
Vancouver police are investigating multiple violent crimes, including a face-slashing on Granville Street and a body found at Crab Park. In Surrey, a man was convicted of second-degree murder for stabbing his roommate 23 times.
Four violent incidents shake Vancouver and Surrey
Vancouver Sun Crime reports a cluster of serious violent crimes across Metro Vancouver, including two robberies with stabbings, a homicide at Crab Park, and a second-degree murder conviction in Surrey.
Face-slashing on Granville Street leads to arrest
On Aug. 8, at around 3:20 a.m., a 19-year-old man was with friends on the 900-block of Granville Street when two men approached the group. One suspect snatched a chain from around the victim's neck; the other slashed his face, leaving a five-inch wound running from the tip of his nose, beneath his eye, and up to his eyebrow.
VPD detectives arrested 29-year-old Garret William Thomas in the Downtown Eastside early last week and executed a search warrant at his home. Thomas faces one count of robbery and one count of aggravated assault, and remains in custody pending a bail hearing. A second suspect has not yet been identified. Anyone with information is asked to contact the VPD's Major Crime Section at 604-717-2541.
Surrey man convicted of murdering 'mean' roommate
Paul John Martin, 45, of Surrey has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the August 2023 death of his 56-year-old roommate, Robb Memory. The conviction carries an automatic life sentence. Martin is scheduled to appear in court in New Westminster on Thursday, where Justice Barbara Norell will determine the terms of his parole eligibility.
On Aug. 27, 2023, Surrey RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious death at a home near 91st Street and 68th Avenue, where Memory was found dead. According to reporting by Delta Now, Martin stabbed Memory multiple times in the chest and upper back during an argument while Memory was playing a video game in their house on the 19100-block of 68th Avenue. Martin maintained that it was a "bad accident" and that he had not intended to kill Memory, whom he described as "very mean" toward him.
Body found at Crab Park — Vancouver's sixth homicide of the year
A man was found dead at Crab Park on E. Waterfront Road on Wednesday morning, in what police are treating as Vancouver's sixth homicide of 2026. VPD officers were called to the park just before 7 a.m. following reports of a man in medical distress. First responders pronounced the man dead at the scene.
No suspects have been identified, the victim's identity has not been confirmed, and no manner of death has been released at this early stage of the investigation. Anyone who was in or around Crab Park between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday is asked to contact the VPD Homicide Unit at 604-717-2500.
Stabbing and robbery near Granville and Nelson
On Tuesday night, a man was stabbed in the arm and robbed near the intersection of Granville and Nelson streets in downtown Vancouver. VPD officers responded to reports of a stabbing at around 10:45 p.m. and found the victim, who had been attacked by two suspects who stole his bag before fleeing southbound on Granville Street. Paramedics treated the victim at the scene before he was transported to hospital.
The first suspect was described as an Indigenous male youth with a slim build, wearing a green jacket and black pants, and carrying a black side bag. The second was described as an Indigenous male youth with a medium build, in a black hoodie and black pants. Witnesses or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage from the area at the time of the incident are asked to call investigators at 604-717-3321.
Source: Vancouver Sun Crime