Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
A 50-year-old man has been arrested and charged with sexual assault after he allegedly attacked a woman in what she believed to be a cab.
The 25-year-old woman was leaving Vancouver's Gastown area in the early hours of Oct. 12 when she flagged what she thought was a taxi and got inside.
Police say she was then driven to an area in East Vancouver, where she was severely beaten and sexually assaulted.
Vancouver police issued a public warning on Oct. 13 and asked for help identifying the suspect and his van.
The department Friday said a witness eventually observed a van similar to the one described by police. The witness spotted a license plate and forwarded it to police, who were able to identify a person of interest and make an arrest.
Stephen Lee Schienbein, of Surrey, was arrested Thursday. He has been charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and assault.