B.C. Hudson’s Bay manager seriously injured after attack inside store – BC

The general manager of the Hudson’s Bay at Mayfair Mall in Victoria, B.C. is recovering from serious injuries he received during an attack inside the store last month, Global News has learned.

Victoria police are revealing few details about the Jan. 30 incident, which is still under investigation.

The violence unfolded on the second floor near the furniture section, just before the department store closed at 6 p.m.

Police said they received an abandoned 911 call to an address in the 3100 block of Douglas Street, with the caller reporting a physical altercation between the store manager and an unknown man.

The suspect was arrested in the mall parking lot while the victim was transported to hospital with what police described as “serious and potentially life-threatening injuries.”

“We were saddened and very horrified by the news that happened across the street at the Bay,” neighbouring business owner Love Dodd told Global News.

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VicPD said it had recommended charges to Crown counsel, which are currently being reviewed.

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The suspect was released from police custody with conditions and a future court date.

“Once you make a crime in this city, you can go and get arrested and be out in an hour,” Dodd said.

Victoria police said they were not available for an interview Tuesday, and also refused to provide the age of the suspect.

“It is not always relevant to release, and we work to ensure the privacy of individuals is protected unless they are actually charged,” VicPD communications coordinator Griffen Hohl said in an email.

Although police said shoplifting was not a factor in this incident, sources told Global News there have been security concerns since two former hotels nearby were converted into supportive housing for vulnerable individuals – including those living in encampments.

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Dodd’s Furniture & Mattress, which is located on Finlayson Street between the old Tally Ho hotel at 3020 Douglas Street and the former Comfort Inn Hotel at 3020 Blanshard Street, said crime in the area appears to be getting worse.

“We have people coming into the store, locking themselves in the bathroom, shooting up and using drugs, assaulting our employees,” said Dodd, who recalled a recent incident where a woman started stealing items from one of their trucks.

“We had a salesperson who confronted her and she started to kick and punch him,” the Dodd’s Furniture president said.

The BC Conservatives’ public safety critic said retailers are being forced to take extreme measures to combat crime and street disorder.

“Businesses are literally having to hire multiple security guards at times, people with stab-proof vests just to make sure that they can get through the day,” Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko said Tuesday. “It’s horrifying that this is the case.”

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Dodd said he wants government to understand public safety needs to be prioritized.

“Putting up homeless shelters and having bike lanes seems to be the number one thing and cutting the budgets of the police is the wrong thing to do,” he told Global News in an interview. “They have to think of the public safety first.”

Security staff, including a uniformed guard, could be seen walking through the Bay store at Mayfair Mall on Tuesday.

Staff at the location told Global News extra staff have been hired since the incident.

The Hudson’s Bay Company did not respond with any information when asked about the assault, the manager’s current condition, or what it is doing to address safety issues inside the Mayfair Mall location.