Bradley Dylan Boscariol has been arrested and is in custody, Nanaimo RCMP said in a press release on Saturday night. Boscariol was charged with assault with a weapon and attempted kidnapping, police said. The bomber struck shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday at 6900-block on Dickinson Street, near Max Bennett Pioneer Park. Police say the woman in her 20s was walking along Dickinson Street after getting off a bus. He spotted a vehicle “making strange turns” before approaching it, police said on Friday. An unknown man got out of the SUV and asked the woman for instructions, according to police. While looking for instructions on her phone, the man shook a blunt object, hitting her on the head, police said. The woman reacted and then ran to the nearest house. Police say the man followed her on foot before returning to his vehicle and heading north. Police described the victim’s injuries as non-life-threatening. Investigators focused on locating the suspicious vehicle, police said, adding that Boscariol was arrested in the vehicle around 6 a.m. Friday. Announcing on Saturday that an arrest had been made, the RCMP said the incident had “outraged the community” and Nanaimo squad officers. “The arrest of a person in connection with this incident and his detention by the police within 24 hours should be reassuring to the people of Nanaimo,” said Nanaimo spokesman RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien. “Our researchers would also like to express their sincere appreciation to the general public for their cooperation and assistance with this dossier, as well as to the very courageous and tough young girl who stood strong when she faced real adversity. In our books, she is a rock star. “ Police said their investigation into the case proceeded quickly thanks to a detailed description of the suspect vehicle by the woman. The investigation is still ongoing, police said, noting that officers had carried out search warrants on a house and a vehicle related to Boscariol on Saturday. Investigators are now seeking the help of the public to locate the victim’s brown leather backpack, which was ignored after the attack. They also share that the woman remembers seeing “a black SUV with three men on board slowly passing her” shortly before the attack. Anyone with information on the SUV or backpack should call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and report the file number 2022-9074, police said.
