Manpreet Kaur and her husband Jadinder Singh arrived in Canada from India two months ago and had just begun building their new life. The pair were attacked while sitting on a bench near the White Rock pier around 9 p.m. Kaur says her husband cried out and held his hand to his neck after being stabbed.
The couple yelled at the man, but he did not run. Police confirm they found a 28-year-old victim and took them to hospital. Kaur says she was not allowed to go in the ambulance with her husband and was initially taken to the wrong hospital.
She says the whole experience has been traumatizing and they do not know why they were attacked. Singh is now at home recovering, but Kaur says they are now looking at a large hospital bill and are unsure how they will afford it.
“Public safety is our number one priority,” White Rock Mayor Meghan Knight said Monday. “We are looking into different measures to try and improve the safety. We’ve got a report coming from council on CCTV cameras. We’re considering putting those in different areas of the city.”
Police increase their presence in the area starting in May, Knight said, as warmer weather draws more people to the area. However, she does not believe there has been a significant uptick in violence in her community.
“I think like any city around, we’ve got more population coming in and different scenarios happening and I think crime will follow,” she said. “And this is a desirable area. People love to be out here… so if that draws a little bit of conflict because of a certain group or certain people are having a fight over something, then that’s something my RCMP detachment will deal with.”
Police were on scene in White Rock through the night Sunday, but so far have not announced the arrest of any suspects or a possible motive for the attack. Mounties are asking anyone with information to reach out to them at 778-545-4800.
