A suspect has been arrested by Vancouver Police and charged with the sexual assault of a teenaged girl in a public bathroom – part of an alleged crime spree that included a bank robbery and the assault of a second woman who escaped serious harm on Wednesday afternoon.
The series of violent incidents began around 5:15 p.m. on May 28, and occurred inside an office building at Cambie Street and West 41st Avenue near Oakridge Centre.
A 58-year-old woman was leaving a medical appointment when she was grabbed in the hallway and assaulted by a stranger. She screamed and managed to get away without serious physical injury.
Minutes later, a 14-year-old girl was using a public washroom in the same building when she was sexually assaulted and forcibly confined by a stranger who was armed with a knife. The suspect escaped after another person tried to enter the washroom as the sexual assault was taking place.
As multiple Vancouver Police officers responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting the sexual assault, the suspect allegedly entered a bank on the ground floor of the same office building and committed a robbery. He was taken into custody around 5:40 p.m. as VPD officers arrived on scene.
John Frederick Field, 62, of Surrey, has been charged with the following:
- Sexual assault with a weapon against a person under 16
- Forcible confinement
- Carrying a concealed weapon
- Robbery
- Assault
Field remains in custody.
Anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police is asked for call 604-717-0602.
