Police in Vancouver say one man was arrested and another is still at large after a teenager was robbed and slashed with a blade in the city’s downtown. The 19-year-old victim reportedly suffered a 13-centimetre cut across his face, stretching from the tip of his nose, under his eye to his eyebrow. The attack happened while the victim was out with a group of friends in the 900 block of Granville Street at around 3:20 a.m. on Aug. 8, the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release Wednesday. According to the release, two men approached the friends and removed a chain necklace from the victim’s neck, slashing him with a blade. Investigators arrested 29-year-old Garret William Thomas in the Downtown Eastside on Sept. 18, police said. A search of his home was conducted the same day. Thomas has been charged with one count of robbery and one count of aggravated assault, according to the department. He remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing. Investigators are appealing to the public for help identifying a second suspect involved in the robbery. Vancouver police released surveillance images of the man Wednesday and are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the department’s major crime section at 604-717-2541.
