Police say a mask dispute ended in violence on a Burnaby SkyTrain Monday.
At about 7:20 p.m., a woman was on a SkyTrain travelling through Burnaby when she noticed a man and a woman were sitting close to her without masks on, according to a Metro Vancouver Transit Police news release.
The woman asked them if they had masks to wear, to which they replied “What’s it to you?” according to the release.
The female suspect then got up and allegedly knocked the woman to the ground, the release said.
Both suspects then allegedly hit the victim while she was on the ground before leaving the train at Metrotown Station.
The victim, who stayed on the train and contacted transit police, was not seriously injured, police said
“The circumstances surrounding this incident are troubling,” spokesperson Const. Mike Yake said in the release. “Violence in any form will never be tolerated, especially when it’s unprovoked and results from a reasonable expectation that masks be worn on transit during a pandemic. Officers are enforcing mandatory masks on transit. Anyone failing to wear a mask on transit may be subject to a $115 fine.”
The female suspect is described as a 5-foot-5, white woman in her 20s with a medium build and long dyed red hair.
She was wearing a black coat with writing down the sleeves and red track pants.
The male suspect is described as a 5-foot-10 white man between 25 and 30 years old, with a medium build and short brown hair.
He was wearing a dark jacket and jeans.
Anyone with any information about the suspects or the incident is asked to contact transit police at 604.515.8300 or text at 87.77.77.
