Two men in custody after early morning mallet attack downtown, VPD says

Two men are in custody facing potential robbery charges after what the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) described as a mallet attack in downtown Vancouver.

The VPD said officers responded at about 1:42 a.m. on October 20 to a report of an assault with a hammer. The incident was reported near West Cordova Street and Richards Street.

Officers found a 35-year-old man with head bruising, injuries to both hands and a bloody nose, police said.

A local security guard gave officers immediate access to building CCTV surveillance, according to the VPD. Police said they then arrested two male suspects close to the scene who matched descriptions seen on the footage.

During a search, police said, they found a rubber mallet and the victim's car key fob in the possession of one of the suspects. The VPD's account does not say which man had the items.

The VPD said robbery charges have been forwarded to Crown counsel. Police said both men were taken to jail and remain in custody awaiting a bail hearing.

The details come from police and have not been tested in court. Both men are presumed innocent, and Northline is not naming them.