VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Canadian police in Vancouver were holding a man Tuesday after nine people were hit on the head with a hammer in the city's gay district.
Vancouver police spokeswoman Constable Jana McGuinness said it wasn't immediately clear if the street attacks Sunday night were hate crimes, but they occurred after the city's annual gay pride parade had concluded, the Vancouver Sun reported.
Khalid Alzghoul, 31, was charged Monday with 17 offenses, including nine counts of assault with a weapon. Additional charges are possible if the attacks are deemed to be hate crimes, the report said.
"He was ranting about a lot of things and what exactly he was saying I have yet to confirm with investigators," McGuinness said.
Police seized an imitation firearm, two knives and a ball-peen hammer when they made the arrest. McGuinness said Alzghoul has a history of mental illness, and was tackled to the ground by a man who witnessed the ninth attack..
None of the nine victims' injuries were considered life-threatening. Two were kept in hospital overnight for observation, the report said.
