A “vicious attack” with a baseball bat sent an 18-year-old man to hospital with life-threatening injuries in Nanaimo on Friday.
The teen's condition has since been upgraded to stable.
Witnesses told RCMP that just before 5 p.m. Friday on Bruce Avenue, near Dundas Street, a masked suspect approached the victim and hit him in the head with a bat, kicked him, then ran off with a group of four or five youths.
A member of the public captured the incident on video, and the footage has been seen on social media.
Bystanders gave the victim first-aid until paramedics arrived to take over. He was taken to hospital in Nanaimo before being airlifted to Victoria for treatment.
A vehicle associated with the assault was later found by police and seized for a forensic examination.
The vehicle’s registered owner has since been identified but no arrests have been made.
“This was a vicious attack carried out in broad daylight that has shocked the community,” said RCMP Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien. “We want to assure people that this is a priority investigation and that the investigators are focused on identifying who is responsible, and holding them accountable for their actions.”
Contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 with any information about the incident.
