A 25-year-old man has been charged after allegedly groping a teenager on a bus in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood earlier this month.
Brendan Jonathan Yates has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference, the Vancouver Police Department and Metro Vancouver Transit Police announced in a joint statement Friday.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on a bus at the intersection of Broadway and Quebec Street at 2:45 p.m. on May 17, according to the statement.
MVTP launched an investigation after a 15-year-old girl was groped while riding the bus.
Transit police and investigators from the VPD's sex crimes unit worked together to identify a suspect, police said, adding that Yates was arrested Monday in Vancouver.
The charges against him have not been proven, and police said he has been released from custody with "several conditions."
Although charges have been laid, the investigation is ongoing, according to police, who said they believe there may be witnesses to the incident who have not been identified. They're asking anyone with information to come forward by calling the VPD sex crimes unit at 604-717-0602.
"Reducing sexual offences on transit is one of our top operational priorities, and this is especially true when the offender targets minors," said MVTP Const. Peter Kwok, in the statement.
"Our General Investigation Unit has worked tirelessly alongside Vancouver police investigators to identify a suspect, and we hope that today a message is being sent to anyone who would commit such a crime that they will be caught and held accountable."
