Overview
- A woman was struck in the head with a baseball-bat–sized piece of wood at Kits Beach on Sunday, June 28, and was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
- Vancouver police arrested 48-year-old Carlos Caldera Duarte near the Burrard Street Bridge and Crown Counsel approved a charge of assault with a weapon.
- Police pushed for detention and the Crown sought an overnight fitness assessment, but a judge released Duarte within 48 hours after weighing the court's risk and fitness procedures.
- Duarte's release conditions require him to stay away from Kits Beach, report to forensic psychiatric services, take prescribed medications, and return to court on July 7.
- The quick release has alarmed the victim and drawn public ire on social media while officials point out that police recommend custody but courts and Crown Counsel make final detention and fitness decisions, a setup now under scrutiny for its public-safety implications.