A 20-year-old woman and 21-year-old man suffered "significant" but non-life-threatening injuries after they were assaulted with a baseball bat in Mission on Sunday (Sept. 8).
"This appears to have been an extreme case of road rage,” Mission RCMP Cpl. Harrison Mohr said in a news release.
Carson Asher and Sam Parkhill were at the Tim Hortons drive-thru in a grey Honda Civic at approximately 10 a.m. when they honked at a black Chevrolet Malibu that was stopped and not moving forward.
According to the news release, the Malibu waited for the Civic to leave and drove up beside it when a woman in her 30s inside the Malibu threw her coffee cup at the Civic.
The Malibu followed the Civic from the Tim Hortons near Lougheed Highway and the Cedar Valley Connector to the intersection of Bakerview Avenue and Cedar Street.
"The occupants of the Malibu got out and assaulted both occupants of the Civic with a baseball bat, before getting back into the Malibu and driving off," Mission RCMP said.
Asher and Parkhill — both from Mission – were transported to hospital.
Police later discovered the Malibu unoccupied and seized the vehicle. RCMP identified both suspects and released photos of the man and woman in their 30s to find them as soon as possible.
“I’m sure we’ve all seen someone in a drive-through lane give a little honk to let the person in front know they can move up. No one expects to be assaulted as a result of it. We wish both victims a full and speedy recovery, and are working on locating and arresting the suspects,” Mohr said.
Maddy Parkhill, Sam's sister, posted about the incident on social media on Sunday calling for the public's help in identifying the suspects.
She says there is significant swelling, bruising and hematomas on her sister's face, lacerations on her neck and more bruising around the body. She says Asher suffered bruising, jaw pain and lacerations on his wrists. The pair are currently recovering at home.
"I think it's been really scary, eye-opening and traumatic for them," Parkhill said.
Getting the call that her sister was being rushed to the hospital after an attack was a scary experience.
"Not knowing what you're walking into is very scary and unknown and kind of helpless. You just want to fix it and take the pain," she said.
Mission RCMP recommend that people suspecting they are involved in a road rage incident to call 911; provide their location and a description of the other vehicle; drive to a nearby police station if possible; stay on major roads; keep doors and windows locked; and avoid driving home or to a workplace.
Witnesses or those with information can contact Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161 referencing file 2024-10852.