A man with a criminal history has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a 35-year-old woman in downtown Vancouver.The victim was a tourist, and authorities have described the attack as "unprovoked" and random.According to the Vancouver Police Department, the incident took place shortly before 9 a.m. on Sunday. The woman was out for a walk near the cruise ship terminal at Canada Place when 40-year-old Massimo Rosario Falvo allegedly approached her.She was subsequently "repeatedly punched and kicked in the face," sustaining numerous injuries that "required medical attention at hospital.""The suspect and victim did not know each other and had no prior interaction before the assault occurred," Srgt. Steve Addison explained, noting that a number of people in the area saw what happened and were quick to call 911, "We're thankful to the bystanders who called police," he added, "so our officers could respond immediately and collect valuable evidence that led to the quick arrest of the suspect."Video footage was used to identify Falvo, and authorities tracked him down to a residential building on East Pender St. and Columbia St. He was apprehended around 12:30 p.m. and taken into custody and charged with one count of aggravated assault. Falvo has an extensive criminal record, and was on probation at the time of the attack after pleading guilty to four counts of assault related to an earlier incident. For that crime he was sentenced to just one day in jail.."Another random attack in BC," provincial Conservative leader John Rustad lamented in. a post on X. "Just a normal day under Eby’s NDP! Eby & Trudeau keep letting violent repeat offenders walk free — Eby even wrote a book to help them sue our police! BC's Conservatives will lock up violent criminals who target women and throw away the keys."
