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Assault victim believes at least one attacker may by linked to UFC event. Vancouver police have released photos of the suspects in an assault against a gay couple last weekend now being investigated as a hate crime.
"We're asking the public to look at these images, and if anyone has information that can help us further this investigation, we would be really appreciative of the phone calls," Chief Jim Chu said Friday. On June 12 at 10:45 p.m., David Holtzman and his partner Peter Regier were assaulted after they confronted two men who were urinating near their Keefer Street townhouse. Holtzman said he believes one of the suspects has connections to the Ultimate Fighting Championship event that took place several blocks away at GM Place that night. "I know that the police have been given evidence saying that the primary suspect has links to UFC," he said. "It is gay-bashing, but it also is how do we make and keep our neighbourhoods and our communities safe?" Chu did not comment on whether there is a link between the suspected hate crime and the mixed-martial-arts event. Holtzman challenged Mayor Gregor Robertson to reassess the safety around the city's two-year trial period for allowing UFC events.
"I'd like to make sure that you're taking into consideration really seriously the safety of the neighbourhood," he said to the mayor. Robertson said the city will look at next steps with the UFC policy, based on the outcome of the investigation. "The first step is that we have the investigation completed and we understand whether there's any linkage to the events that night," he said. "That is a two-year trial for UFC and we want to see how it goes, what positive and negative impacts it may have for the city.
"Right now, we don't know if there is a direct connection until the investigation is complete." Last week, Statistics Canada released figures indicating that Vancouver has the highest ratio of gay-bashing crimes among major Canadian cities. Chu urged anyone who believes they have been a victim of a hate crime to report the incident to police. "You have my word that all calls will be thoroughly investigated and we will do everything we can to see that justice is done," he said.
Yolande Cole (The Province) - 20 June 2010.
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