Man arrested after unprovoked assault on Mount Pleasant restaurant worker
37-year-old from Ontario charged with assault causing bodily harm after dislocating victim's shoulder.
A 37-year-old man who arrived in Vancouver from Ontario just one week ago has been arrested and charged with assault causing bodily harm after attacking a restaurant worker.
Victor Coscarella was taken into custody Tuesday morning after police found him in a bush near Mount Pleasant following a short chase. Officers had been called around 11:30 a.m. to reports of a man yelling profanities in the area and throwing an object at a vehicle.
The assault on the restaurant worker, who suffered a dislocated shoulder during the scuffle, happened around the same time. "The assault appears to have been unprovoked, and the motive is unknown at this time," said Vancouver police Const. Megan Lui.
Coscarella has also been charged with obstructing a peace officer and is in custody awaiting a bail hearing. The speed of his arrest follows what police describe as more than five interactions with law enforcement in the span of a single week—an unusual spike that suggests he was already on the radar before the assault.
It's a stark reminder that sometimes the people cycling through the city's most chaotic moments are transient and deeply unwell. The restaurant worker's recovery will take time.