A man has now been charged in relation to an incident in Abbotsford in which an assailant struck two people with a metal pipe, smashed in a car window and robbed a liquor store.
Abbotsford Police Sgt. Judy Bird said the incidents began at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 in the 2300 block of McCallum Road.
Two people told police that, without any provocation, a man chased them and hit them with a metal pipe. He then threw the pipe at one of the victims and smashed a car window before running away.
With an hour of the assault, police were called to a robbery in progress at a liquor store on Montvue Avenue.
The suspect threatened store clerks with a knife, while stealing cash and alcohol.
Minutes later, at 10:34 p.m., patrol officers in downtown Abbotsford spotted a man matching the description of the robbery suspect.
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The man was arrested without incident and charges have now been laid.
Johnathan Rath, 37, remains in custody charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of assault causing bodily harm, four counts of breaching a court order, and one count each of uttering threats and mischief.
Bird said the victims of the assault sustained serious injuries and were transported to hospital.
This is not the first time that Rath has been charged in relation to an unprovoked attack.
He kicked a car as the driver was attempting to park on Aug. 25, 2018 in the area of Clearbrook Road and Fir Avenue.
He then threatened to shoot the two people inside before taking their cellphone.
Police converged on the area and arrested Rath. He was subsequently charged with robbery and uttering threats.
Also in 2018, Rath was charged with theft in May, two counts of assault in June and mischief in August.
He pleaded guilty in October to four of those six charges, and was sentenced to one year of probation. The robbery charge and one assault charge were stayed.
Rath has prior convictions for assault, mischief, using a forged document, and breaching his probation and bail conditions.
Anyone with information about Rath’s latest arrest is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.