A man alleged to have assaulted a Richmond teen in August 2020 has been charged with assault causing bodily harm.

At approximately 7 p.m. on August 21, 2020, an autistic teen was playing basketball with a group of people when he was allegedly assaulted.  The alleged assault was reported to Richmond RCMP by two witnesses; however, the victim left the park prior to police attending.  Due to the significance of the injuries described by the witnesses, the frontline officer attended a local area hospital where he located the victim.

“This is an excellent example of the key role the public plays in investigations,” said Cpl. Adriana O’Malley, “We want to commend all of the witnesses that came forward and aided in our investigation. The evidence they provided was instrumental in identifying the alleged suspect.”

Richmond RCMP General Investigation Section took conduct of the case and the lead investigators were able to identify a suspect who resides in Ontario.

“Speaking to the victim’s father it’s evident the profound impact this incident has had on their family,” said O’Malley, “This was felt by our investigators who worked tirelessly throughout this investigation to support and in the words of the victim’s father ‘create a mental comfort zone’ for his son.”

The subsequent investigation has resulted in charges being laid against a 21-year-old man, Dominic Rallon Jao.

Jao has been charged with assault causing bodily harm.

Richmond RCMP encourages anyone who may have witnessed or be in possession of evidence of a potential crime to report it to the police of jurisdiction. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit them online at www.solvecrime.ca.