Man charged after random assaults, arson in North Vancouver

A 42-year-old man is in police custody facing multiple charges, including assault causing bodily harm and arson, following a series of violent incidents in North Vancouver, according to police.

A 42-year-old man is in police custody facing multiple charges, including assault causing bodily harm and arson, following a series of violent incidents in North Vancouver, according to police.

Jeremy Lariviere of Vancouver has been charged with two counts of assault, one count of assault causing bodily harm, one count of arson and four counts of mischief following his arrest on Dec. 29, 2024.

A statement from the North Vancouver RCMP says officers responded to a random assault in the 100 block of Bewicke Avenue around 3:15 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Investigators say a 38-year-old woman was reportedly assaulted after confronting a man who was allegedly damaging a parked vehicle.

The suspect fled the scene before police arrived, while the woman was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the statement said.

A half-hour later, North Vancouver police were called to the Shipyards area on Lonsdale Avenue, where a suspect reportedly assaulted two people at a Christmas market.

"It is alleged that the same suspect punched a woman from behind and assaulted her son, then left prior to police arrival," the RCMP statement said. "The woman suffered injuries and was treated by paramedics on scene."