Welcome to Vancouver True Crime today.
I have a very special guest in some very heartbreaking stories.
So, without further Ado, I Paulina who's unrelated
breakdown a very tragic story. So let her provide her testimony
and Pauline. I'm very sorry to meet under
these circumstances. Why don't you introduce yourself
and share your story and we'll get into and have a conversation
about it? First of all, I'm very sorry for
that, what happened to be brother and your mother and
thank you for coming and talking to me.
I don't even know how to begin this or I'm so grateful that you
were able to speak on the story. You're actually one of the only
people that responded back to me that when we don't have a voice
that I really appreciate that. Just a little back story, my
parents are immigrants, they immigrated here from Kyrgyzstan
with this part of Russia. The Soviet Union and then
Montreal and here, we're going to here since 2005, my brother,
he struggles with addiction and he so I don't want Complete that
point out. I think it's also an important
part of the story. There's a few key issues that
are going on in Vancouver. Addiction help access for people
that want to get off substances and then the cause of the effect
of this addiction and opiate crisis and it affects everybody
affects the family. It affects, you know, obvious
head, your family's had a big impact of it.
So I think it's an important part of the part of the story in
the bigger. Of the story.
Throat mc2. Exactly.
So yeah, so he does struggle with addiction and he's been
seeking help. I mean, as I'm sure, you know,
and I'm sure anybody and I coover that I know someone with
addiction and you know it's it's almost impossible.
They it's almost they got clean. I don't know.
Whatever. That's a whole different topic.
It's very challenging. Yes.
But so this one particular moment, my brother, he has been
detoxic before he at, he had an appointment to go into detox
before going into rehab, but he's trying to stay clean.
So, he hasn't done any drugs and I think he was clean for two
weeks and he just he's like, I need my last fix and maybe it
was in his head. I don't know.
I'm a human we view as well. Let's get my last fixed before I
go into detox. It's hard.
I don't understand it. I can't understand what it's
like to have that illness. I've had family members and I've
lost one of my best friend's to addiction.
And I'm Priya recently, I lost an ex-girlfriend to addiction
for these people. It was lifelong, they would have
years where they're good and then something would happen a
stressor and, and then they would have a relapse.
But the difference now is that when someone relapse is with the
level of toxic drugs, it could be their last time, but it's a
very serious situation. But the cycle of addiction, for
some people can be lifelong even with their best intentions of.
It's a hard thing to explain to people on the outside who have
never had to deal with it and they're quite fortunate.
If they've never had it, it's a double, it's a serious problem.
I, I don't think I could pick up one person.
Who's not affected by someone who has addiction mother.
Sure. We're a family member or an
acquaintance, everybody's people know.
So it's so it's a serious problem.
I guess the story My brother was going to get his last fix record
high. It was a harrowing and my mom.
Her kids are her life her life. She's such a caring mother and
she also doesn't speak English. Well, all right, for Canada, she
had to learn French. And then we moved here and she
now has to learn English. She barely speaks she can kind
of understand you know my brother has OD'd a couple times
and she's had only God. So finding your child like that
as a mother she's yeah protective I will follow him
until like it doesn't matter what he's doing is right but my
mom goes after him, he gets really.
She like Mom you're so embarrassing.
Stop following me. She calls him everywhere.
So this one moment, they're walking through, she sent her
area. He Westminster High way around
the area and my brother. He got his fix Eagle.
Hi. He was very dehydrated Skies.
They have a shopping cart and a half beverage.
I said, oh I'm going to buy that like of water from them or
whatever catering, he's first crack.
So he goes to kind of Gatorade they have trucks.
I hate you want to get to some more trucks to kill, its do it,
you know, so they're getting ready.
He's like, yeah, we're getting so frustrated, one of ours had
sought, he recognized my brother and he had made - from work to
him, that he may really upset him.
He's anyway, the, my brother was a rapist is what he's?
And my brother is very sensitive.
Of to that, of course, most people would be.
I would be, I wouldn't want someone calling me that.
No one would want to be called that.
And, I mean, my brother, he is five sisters and unfortunately,
hmm. He's had unfortunate thing
happened to him, right made. So to him, it's very, very
triggering. Remark, tell the audience, the
date, the so, so, they know the context of when this happened,
this happen on May 7. Heat.
Okay, May 7 around 7:00, 7:30 p.m. it was.
Anyways, they make this comment about Jaime really triggers him,
he gets upset, because they thought that's not true.
Also, it's important to know. He was on heroin though.
He wasn't trying to look for fights nothing's.
Like no, no, just don't say that.
They now start teasing him and they start beating him.
How many people in the group? It was two men and one woman,
two men, one woman. Okay, the lady I believe is in
her Mid-20s the one of the guys, this is in his 30s and the other
guy in his early 40s, according to the news article, or at least
just the not their means. So anyways, they're attacking my
brother. My mom is very religious because
she was off to the side praying. And so, she's praying.
And then she sees this happening.
She drops the We're Jewish. So the Jewish book her bag and
she's like what are you guys doing?
I was just trying to break it up and she's like that's my son.
Please please, please send. When I say oh she's older woman.
Barely speaks it like she's just Yeah, Bang, ow.
Oh, that's his mom. They then push my brother to the
side and he's very high, he can barely get a, he's confused.
What's going on? So the older guy that 41 year
old punched, my mom. I know my God times.
Oh my God, he's hitting her in the face.
Oh my God. And then from my understanding
of what she said, because she's just like it happened.
So quick. She knows her after the girl
gets involved and she starts kicking my mom and like throwing
her around. Grabbing her hair and the other
guy joined in after and she doesn't know.
So, she got stabbed in the back with a knife.
Oh, he doesn't know if she fell to the ground after she got
stopped. She's now on the floor laying
and they're all kicking her. All she can see is, let's see
kicking her and see my brother trying to get in and he's like,
trying to get in to stop them. And to help my mom is just
cruel. It was really cruel, so they're
laughing at him. Forming the circle.
Hi haha, you can't help your mom.
You're so hot. It was disgusting.
It's very heartbreaking. I can't.
So so at that point, my brother's life.
Okay, so he now tries to Knocking on car windows, like,
can someone help consume connect know what can someone call 911,
right? He's trying to get help.
I'm his side. It felt like an eternity.
He was like no one popping. Anything like know you.
I was trying to calm him as a. I'm sure people called cough.
She's like no it was it was it was disgusting.
It was cool though. I'm scared.
I don't understand why is nobody cared.
I've been in the city for a long time.
I've never ever in my life witnessed a 40 year old man, as
punching a 65 year, old woman in the face for no reason.
One thing I want you to emphasize though because there
was some press on this and and they got something wrong, they
they said that all, they're all known to each other but I want
you to set the record. Say your mom has never met or
had any dealings with these people before.
So So our first interaction with this guy was getting punched in
the face and I think they tried to take advantage of the fact
that all drug addicts, all know each other, maybe they're
acquainted or whatever and they took to try and manipulate the
story like everybody knew each other when absolutely not.
That is not what happened. I get there.
Trying to not alarm the public and to downplay the situation.
But I think when these people get released the very next
morning, they're not even there for A full 24 hours.
That's the reason why I'm talking about.
This is that's alarming to other people.
Oh, he's around coming around. Pretty, they ache at the story,
wrong beat. These people are out in public.
I'm so scared that this is going to happen to other people.
Seeing has happened and how the whole situation from when the
cops arrived hospital to even the aftermath that we're dealing
with right now. Yeah.
But how mistreated in my growing Scout?
Yes. And people who Speak the
language. It's disgusting.
So I hope this isn't the case, but I hope if this has happened
I would like for other people to be like, oh my gosh, wait,
something kind of similar happened to me and they also
shut that down. Yeah, because now starting to
realize this happens, I think this kind of stuff happens.
A lot more often. Probably the most major event
that your family has ever faced where you needed the system to
help you and then it let you down.
So the system this seems to be like for some people.
All they treat them with kid gloves, you know, these violent
offenders, and then people that want some kind of recourse for
what they've been through. They get the brass knuckles from
that, I've definitely our family, got the brass knuckles.
Yes. And 100% that actually got
reminding me. That's a big point.
Is I called the cops his nose. Like you know you guys got you
guys keep the wrong story and then yes.
And I was like, also I think it's really important to what
Lisa names B, so a the public knows who to be aware of and be
I'm sorry. How do they get absolutely no
punishment, right? Like no, we can't release the
nation can release the knees? Yeah, this.
But the news article said that they knew each other, if they
knew each other, how we don't have their names.
Yeah. Doctor makes itself is a flaw
clearly. Nobody knows anybody.
There is no name. This is a random attack.
My mom doesn't know like to talk about the police.
Nice, the, the ambulance and then, what happened to your
mom's property, and then go into the treatment that she had at
the hospital. So, she, the ambulance arrives.
They bring her into the car and my mom's fast.
So, when I said, when she jumped in to help my brother, she threw
her book and she threw her purse.
She's now asking, actually, can you please grab my purse?
Can you grab my purse with me? Talk to you.
Let me go. Grab my A person I'm fine.
I really want to crop it. My mom is so old-school.
Jew brings everything in her bag, her passport personal, my
God security number, her births, everything into her back.
Her life is in her bad and they cropped her book but not her
bag. Don't eases its.
Maybe what happened? The cops still don't know.
Oh god. Oh, they're in the ambulance.
They told her. Yes, we have your bag.
Okay, no worries. They had to admit.
She's now begging them. Can you call my daughter?
Can you call my dog?
Because now they have to deal with my brother to survive Bond,
us alone, completely okay. They didn't call me until 9 p.m.
that day. So, and she had to beg beg, one
of the ladies in the hospital to take pity on her, and call me
out to eat rats when I was there.
Make sure you thank her because everybody took her.
Make sure you think me. No one takes me.
Seriously, I don't speak the language.
They think I'm crazy. I was just trying to get you to
come here. I'm hot.
I arrived my covered in blood. Of course, when the like the odd
shock, let me clean. And I'm trying to hold it
together for sure. Of course.
I wanted to break down crying. Like I got to keep it together.
I have to see it to know what's going on and it was just shit.
Sorry, I figure. We'll do they take so from
Richmond, what hospital do they end up taken?
Or to Beta for to Fiji? Wow, then that's quite a way.
It's like from Richmond to VG H. So they took her to vgh because
they took those guys to Richmond hospital.
She Sustained serious injuries. I would argue even
life-threatening. So her her right cheek, bone is
completely broken Jesus and her bone above her, cheekbone side
of her, I shattered. Oh my God.
Yeah. Come to think they hit her with
something. Like did I got like a pipe or to
stick the force to do that? I mean, I think you have three
people punching, you kick. Your name a denial but I really
don't even want to think and imagine them hitting my mom with
the weapon. Oh yeah.
So I hope not. Yeah of course of course.
Yeah. Yeah serious injuries.
Like you know again then you're going to concussion brain,
trauma, brain injury. It's a real Miracle.
She survived in my opinion. So this it serious.
Yeah, I think I like this is so silly but I think she survived
to keep taking care of her kids prefer that strong.
But yeah, its release and also at this to have in her back.
She needed stitches. Oh my God.
Yeah, so that's happening where I VG H, this ice, you can
imagine she's pretty badly concussed, and she's now huh?
Painted these statements, and I even remember thinking this is
such an appropriate time to ask. I get it legally under skull,
literally crushed, like literally, like there, and then
there, I can you make a statement.
Well, maybe not feeling well right now.
Yeah. Yeah.
Settlements. They grab it, grab statements
and everything. The whole handling, the
situation I will say was so poor there was a nation cop that
arrived after the scene Pratap that arrived at the scene.
After the whole event, he met my mom at the hospital.
That was his first time seeing her I believe, or at least
that's what he meet dumped me. He was sweet and this important
why I think it was also hard for him to see that.
Oh yeah, he heard he has a mom, right?
Exactly. And he even understood his arms.
So sorry I have to take the sleep in, but I have to, he's
being very patient and he was just so kind and my mom couldn't
stops you're sick. I need my back and he's my back.
He's my whole life is in my bag. I don't want these people
finding my identity. I don't want them knowing my
address like, please. And like, no, no, no.
We have your back. We have your back for sure.
So the cop explains to me. I'm not allowed to release this
because it's in custody, right faking.
My mom is begging just like we didn't 224 attack.
Why are we getting punished? So he was so nice.
Like no, I'm going to go look for your bag.
You're right because looking for his our bags and We had my
brother's bags, which he returns to.
That was nice. But my mom's like, I'm sorry.
Your bags, not in our, like, we don't we don't, we actually
don't have it. So at some point, either they
ran with my mom's bag after they left for The cops didn't grab it
and someone had taken it after we don't know.
These people are out waiting for their day in court.
Wow, out free tune with a long as we need for this court date,
believe it or not, and of course, I'm listening to
everything you're saying, but my mind is still at that statement.
You made the 41 year old, just punched my mother in the face.
I mean, I'm sorry, but if I just, I'm, if I was able to do
something like that and be let go.
Yeah. Oh, I can do it.
It's ridiculous. How's everyone doing?
Under these circumstances, Richard horrific ordeal, my mom
has a very bad PTSD. She's terrified her house, my
brother actually is well, he stared good, staying that Came
from this, he's off drugs, right?
That he. So they're both traumatized
scaring. My he literally, she won't be
the house. She won't go for you really
could be sad and the most heartbreaking part of this, my
family. Can't understand why the system
has to be able done so hard so hard and how these people are
out and how the news article wrote the story in manipulated
it in lied. There's a few things going on
here. The social implications of all
this, we have a drug issue, which we talked about and it's
been going on for a long time and then the medical system,
which is supposed to provide rehab and detoxing and stuff.
Seems You have failed and now the alternative is provide them
with safe, drugs or clean drugs. I've had conversations about
that. I interviewed this guy named
Jerry Martin, that was going to supply, clean drugs, of course,
to first day of operations, he got arrested, which I even
brought up in the interview, aren't you afraid of getting
arrested, the see these kind of, hairbrained Solutions and stuff.
But there's no common sense applied to them.
They have mental health issues. So they're not responsible for
their actions, they have drug issues.
They're not responsible. Or for their actions.
But there's also has to be some common sense when someone does a
monstrous atrocity. They should not be allowed to be
walking in society. It just simple as that, when
someone oversteps the line, regardless, if they have a drug
problem, alcohol problem, or just an anger problem, and they
beat up an old lady, almost beat her to death and stabbed her,
and then they're released. And then in the system and the
media, it's just kind of a shoulder shrug.
Oh well, but to your family, this is a tragedies or
heartbreak as he just said, your mom's and fear your brothers and
fear. This is probably going to change
your Families, Dynamic, for the rest of your life.
No empathy, or support or anything.
It's tragic. My heart goes out to you.
And by, like, crying what happened to your mother?
I witnessed something like that. It would probably break me.
It did I had, I have no, I have no words to describe the anger
frustration and I can help with But we are lucky enough where we
were able to get a lawyer, a really good good, good.
And it's only after that, that's when stuff now actually started
responding. Of course, now will respond to
you. Yeah.
Now whereas before I mean I called the cops the very next
day to inform them, hey if you guys didn't take my mom's back,
do you check these people? You just release.
They have it like Italy. We made a report I call later
on, like we never got that report.
We don't have that. No, you never let God.
So that's enough like no, no sorry.
Fuck this, we're getting a lawyer.
Your story is beyond heartbreaking.
It's monstrous I elderly lady being treated about way.
Like I said, we were fortunate enough.
I mean, my family, we don't have money but I am lucky where I am
with someone. Who's their family are the
complete polar opposite of mine, right?
Actually, especially speaking and they have power, they have
pole. So we have The best lawyers, who
is taking this on? Hopefully, something happens.
And what I'm hoping and my whole goal of even speaking out about
this, I want, like I said, I don't think this is a special
case. I think people just don't talk
about it. Don't know where to go for help
writing on board to, I want for other people to come forward to
also, I want there to be helped so I would even left to if this
happens to other people who don't have finances or I don't
have to language and feel like there's no hope no help.
I want to then start something and be able to help out the
families and be able to support them and get lawyers involved or
something is ridiculous. We don't have a voice people get
taken advantage of. Yeah.
There. I mean you come to Canada for a
better life and this is what you get.
It's awful. It makes me angry.
Let's say none of you guys had good language skills.
So this probably does happen more often than we want to talk
about or admit that it happens. We're Bringing people here, not
really giving the full details of what their life could be like
or potentially with this escalation of violence.
And because they may not know the system while English is a
second language, more vulnerable.
In my opinion, that they're probably even targeted, because
lot of the random violence that I've been covering has been
happening in the, Chinese Community Chinese elderly.
People being blasted with bear spray attacked.
My posted one video of an 80 year old man.
With a walking stick is guide is Goals and Blossom, again, what
kind of monster can do that? I've heard in from people, in
the Chinese community, that people were targeting Chinese
people because they think they don't speak English.
And lot of times there are also embarrassed Bo going to the
police. Could they a shame that this
happen or embarrassment? So they become ideal targets
because of that. Disgusting.
We shouldn't allow this. No that's disgusting.
And what you brought? It up the embarrassment.
By the way, my family felt that they feel that way.
It's a me talking about this right now.
I mean, there's so nervous about it because they, they don't want
this out in the open, but afraid of recourse people need.
We need to start talking. We need to start flying at leas
to be there for one another, to try and change this.
See what we can do. The silence obviously isn't
doing anything. I started this platform to speak
with victims are directly impacted by to work with
families that are unfortunately have lost sons and daughters in
the most tragic ways and talking to people like yourself because
this is the impact of a pain in the suffering that your mom and
your brother has experience from this.
The post-traumatic stress. They're afraid to go out in
their Community now it's very debilitating.
If in my opinion there's no No, excuse for it and we should do
better as a society. I like to give a voice to the
voiceless, I'm hoping that someone will hear this.
And in this could facilitate some change, your hearing your
story, hearing your testimony because even if you're sitting
in judgment, oh, the brother did drugs.
No mom should know and whatever, you know, fucking stupid shit
that's going in your head right now.
The point is and I mean to swear, but the point is, this
could happen to you. It can happen to your love.
Going to could happen to your mother.
It can happen to someone you care about and then see how woke
you'll feel about it. I post stuff Paulina.
That is monstrous like this guy, he went to North Vancouver and
stabbed a bunch of people and I had people in the comments
saying, oh he was having a mental breakdown.
You shouldn't be posting, maybe there have been lucky enough to
not have a violence incident which is EE spend enough time in
Metro Vancouver. It's almost like a lottery.
It's not like because you're special and smarter you That's
why it's a hence the randomness of it, it can happen to me.
It can happen to, you can happen to anybody, and that's the
concern. And that's the thing that
everyone should care about. And how do we prevent this from
happening, right? Yeah, I was going to say because
all those people that do you have negative comments to say
and as I said, I didn't want to hide it.
That's what my first things I said was.
No, my brother is an addict. He actually, I'm not going to
hide. I know that confirm like he
chose that like a, that's not what happened, you don't.
Also you don't know why someone goes into drugs, you don't know
what, you're not sitting here listening to their entire life
story and who are you to judge? Be fuck off.
See ya. So lucky.
I'm jealous that you think nothing's happened to you.
So sounds like so happy for you that you're looking with what
you said like a lottery ticket life.
Yeah, hopefully goes on that way.
But it very easily. Could not know it's hurt some
statistic. Look just resize a soft top my
head. I might be inaccurate, but
they're saying that Millennials in that Millennial Generation Y,
not a three person has known someone had lost their life to
drug addiction. It's such a tragic monstrous
problem for society and the things that I've been watching
this in Vancouver for 30 years started about 1990 in Hastings
Street Anna, a century was always a rough Street.
I remember my mom would take me to Woodward's wears a Woodward's
gross. Department store in the only
people that were kind of sketchy or we just call them Winos older
men that were bombs of drink alcohol on street, right?
Cheap wine. They were basically harmless,
they ask you for money, my mom, shoo them away and they would
just comply. Then about the gold, 1995 crack
cocaine. And what the hell happened?
Just people out on the streets. Cracking up with not a care in
the world and ever since 1895 it just gotten worse worse worse,
as they pour more money and they spend over a des on the downtown
Eastside, they spent over a million dollars a day and
services. But yeah.
And then on the other side of it, the people that use drugs, a
million dollars worth of drugs a day, which a big economy.
The side effect of it's gotten out of control.
So we're basically turning into an open-air psychiatric ward.
Where we allow the psych patients to do drugs and now,
even Legalize It or decriminalize.
Got Ariza right terms. I'm a little right was all
legalized of to chromium, right? Because yeah, that makes the
same difference right now. Either allowed up, crystal meth,
and go. Did I wake up and I'm in an
episode of The Block mirror or the Twilight Zone.
I don't recognize this Society. I don't I try to be fast and
look at all the different angles and sides of it, but when
someone's mother has the most her life ended Then it's time to
wake up 100%. And even my brother, by the way,
who's an addict. Yeah, very addicted and you
would think he would be excited about the safe injection sites.
Like fuck yeah, sorry. But you said yeah, yeah, this
making it so hard. He's like it's so hard.
I don't want to do this and want help and it's impossible because
you want to fix its the East. It's the easiest thing to do.
Yeah, I don't understand. It's impossible.
I mean, Wow, it's just it's so angering.
The city does not. It's almost like they tell you
oh yeah we want we want to make it safe for users.
That's why we're opening this with safe, injections, ice and
this and this and that's a No-No.
Why can't we put that into real rehab centers?
Yes, yeah, paying I don't know, nurses or something.
There's like or organizations as even hands out free drugs on the
downtown east side but If you're trying to clean people off and
it's like a detoxing thing. Like for example, there was a
program with think it was with Coastal Health and it was for
severe alcoholism. If someone goes cold turkey off
alcohol they can actually have seizures.
It's pretty serious. They did this program where they
would come into the hospital would be a nurse a.
I could go where in the hospital they could have a glass of wine,
every couple of hours, it was just too kind of wean them off
but they're being supervised. I have a nurse, have it to get a
check-up, they get their blood pressure taken, dive interval.
I feel in this is like horrible. Like honestly follows this
someones mother game that to beat In like that and stabbed.
And then that we don't even know who they are.
They're just like out and about like God, like I want to know
who this scumbag is Jesus. When they do release his name
and picture, I'll post on prominently, I promised God,
thank you very, very much for hearing my story.
And for speaking out about it I really appreciate it.
Yeah, we'll keep me posted if there's any enough all up on
him. I'm very heartbroken here.
This and very distraught. Really, I'm glad your brother is
doing better. I'm glad your mom's recovering
from these horrible injuries and it's going to take a long time
for them to recover psychologically, and glad that
you have Resources and can get help and being brave to talk
about this because it's really troubling.
Thank you very very good image. Okay.
Well they take care you guys who have thanks for talking to me.
I