An attack in a city park put two stab wounds into a local man's arm when he refused to give a robber his cell phone.
The incident happened Sunday night in Fort George Park. Police were called at about 7 p.m. when the victim arrived at university hospital for treatment.
"Police officers attended the hospital and located a 25-year-old male with two small stab wounds," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. "The victim advised that he was playing a game on his phone while walking in [the park]. An unknown male walked by him and shortly after, the male demanded his phone. When the victim refused, the suspect stabbed him in the forearm twice. The victim fought off his attacker, ran to his vehicle and drove himself to the hospital."
The victim's injuries were minor and he was not admitted to hospital.
The suspect is described as Caucasian, slim build, with dirty-blonde hair, wearing a plain black hoodie, blue jeans and a red and white bandana covering his face.
"Although this is the only reported attempted robbery of a cell phone in Prince George, several other communities in B.C. have reported multiple robberies or thefts. Here are a few precautions you can take to help protect yourself from becoming a victim," Douglass said.
Anyone with information about this violent attack or the person responsible is asked contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca, or Text-A-Tip to CRIMES using keyword pgtips.
The Prince George RCMP advised that location tracking software is available for both Blackberry and Apple. For Blackberry, owners can download "Blackberry Protect" at www.us.blackberry.com while iPhone owners can download "Find My iPhone" at www.apple.com.
Both of these security softwares are free and are able to locate lost or stolen phones on a map, remotely lock the phone to protect its contents and send a message that would show up on the screen of the phone. There is no official application made for Android, but there are third-party software makers that provide the same protection, for example "Lookout" at www.mylookout.com.
For more information on personal safety, contact the Prince George Community Policing Office at (250) 561-3366 or drop in to the office located at 575 Brunswick Street, Prince George.
