Burnaby RCMP seeks witnesses to stranger assault from late last week

July 14, 2026 - Burnaby, British Columbia
From: Burnaby RCMP

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Burnaby RCMP is investigating a sexual assault that occurred near Royal Oak Avenue and Beresford Street late last week.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Burnaby RCMP frontline officers responded to a report of an assault that had just occurred near Royal Oak Avenue and Beresford Street. The victim advised that she was walking alone when an unknown man came from behind and grabbed her buttocks. An altercation ensued. The victim resisted and screamed which caused the suspect to stop. As the victim called 911, the suspect fled the scene. Extensive patrols for the suspect were met with negative results.

The victim did not sustain any physical injuries from the assault. Investigators continue to follow up on leads generated from information shared by the victim. 

“We’d like to commend the victim for her courage and for calling police immediately,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj with the Burnaby RCMP. 

A half hour later, just before midnight, Burnaby RCMP received a report of a suspicious man who had approached the sliding glass door of a ground floor apartment in the 7300-block of MacPherson Avenue (near Beresford Street). This suspect fled when the resident banged on the window. The suspect was also seen in the same yard at approximately 11:00 p.m. earlier that night. The complainant did not initially report the first sighting. 

“We cannot currently say for certain if the two incidents are related, however, we are asking anyone who saw the suspicious man in the second incident or witnessed the first incident to please come forward and speak to our investigators,” Cpl. Kalanj added. “Our officers continue to canvas the area for video, so if you have captured an image or video from your doorbell camera or dashcam video, we would like to hear from you.”

Police are asking anyone that can assist in identifying the suspect in either of these incidents or anyone with dashcam video in the area between 10:30 p.m., Thursday, July 9, and 1:00 a.m., Friday, July 10, to contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 and quote file number 2026-23973.

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