VicPD charged a man in two downtown attacks an hour apart. One victim was a Muslim community leader.
Imam Ebrahim Gadou was sitting in his vehicle with his wife near their downtown home, shortly after evening prayers, when a stranger forced open his car door and started hitting him.
VicPD got the call just before 11 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, from the 1100-block of Fort Street. Gadou, who leads Victoria's Masjid Al-Imam, told CHEK News his attacker struck him in the head, spat on him, and told him to "go home." Officers arrested a man matching the description a short time later.
That arrest closed a second case before police knew it existed. Around 1:15 a.m. the next morning, another man reported he'd been struck and robbed of cash near the 1100-block of Douglas Street about an hour before the Fort Street attack. The suspect was already in custody.
The B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges against 31-year-old Vincent Edward Abraham: robbery and assault causing bodily harm in the Fort Street case, robbery and assault with a weapon in the Douglas Street case. VicPD Chief Constable Fiona Wilson called the attacks "random" and said police are still investigating motive. Abraham is scheduled to appear in court today.
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