Stranger arrested, charged for attack on teen girl in public bathroom

A suspect has been arrested by Vancouver Police and charged with the sexual assault of a teenaged girl in a public bathroom – part of an alleged crime spree that included a bank robbery and the assault of a second woman who escaped serious harm Wednesday afternoon.

The series of violent incidents began around 5:15 p.m. on May 28, and occurred inside an office building at Cambie Street and West 41^st Avenue, near Oakridge Centre.

A 58-year-old woman was leaving a medical appointment when she was grabbed in the hallway and assaulted by a stranger. She screamed and managed to get away without serious physical injury.

Minutes later, a 14-year-old girl was using a public washroom in the same building when she was sexually-assaulted and forcibly confined by a stranger who was armed with knife. The suspect escaped after another person tried to enter the washroom as the sexual assault was taking place.

As multiple Vancouver Police officers responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting the sexual assault, the suspect allegedly entered a bank on the ground floor of the same office building and committed a robbery. He was taken into custody around 5:40 p.m. as VPD officers arrived on scene.

John Frederick Field, 62, of Surrey, has been charged with the following:

• Sexual assault with a weapon against a person under 16
• Forcible confinement
• Carrying a concealed weapon
• Robbery
• Assault

Field remains in custody.