With the arrests of four men for two suspected gay bashings this week, the number of hate crimes in Vancouver seems to be on the rise.
Nearly two weeks after being attacked in front of his downtown home, David Holtzman said he's relieved police have arrested two brothers in connection with the attack.
"I shouldn't feel afraid. I shouldn't be worried that someone is going to jump on my back and punch me 50 times and bite me. That's just weird. That's not my Vancouver. So I'm really glad police stepped forward," he told CTV News.
Richmond brothers Parminder Singh Peter Bassi and Ravinder Robbie Bassi were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the June 12 attack on Holtzman and his partner Peter Regier.
Surveillance video taken in the moments before the attack led to charges of assault causing bodily harm for the brothers.
That same charge has also been applied to two more men arrested Thursday in connection to a similar attack on a gay man near Davie and Burrard streets.
Vancouver residents Alexandre Tchernychev and Aaron Alexander Hahn, both 21, were arrested soon after a 30-year-old man was repeatedly punched and pushed to the ground around 2:45 a.m.
In both assaults, the attackers allegedly make disparaging comments about the victims' sexuality, which is why both are being investigated as possible gay bashings.
According to recent numbers from Statistics Canada, Vancouver has one of the highest occurrences of hate crime in the country.
Ken Coolen, president of the Vancouver Pride Society, says the numbers are high because victims in Vancouver feel safe coming forward.
"I don't think the level of hate crime is any more intense here than anywhere else, but the community is coming out more," Coolen said.
But Holtzman said that doesn't change the fact that hate crime is still a problem in Vancouver.
"Because the numbers are the biggest, I think it needs to be looked at both ways: great that people are coming forward, but, damn it, these are still happening."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid
