Nanaimo RCMP responded to a reported stabbing outside a yoga studio on Victoria Rd. on Friday, March 20, where one man was taken to hospital. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

violent attack

Man stabbed ‘multiple times’, Nanaimo police search for pair of suspects

Mar 20, 2026 | 10:59 AM

NANAIMO — One person was taken to hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing in the city’s south end.

RCMP, Nanaimo Fire Rescue, and B.C. Emergency Health Services responded to reports of a stabbing outside a yoga studio on Friday, March 20 just before 10 a.m. on Friday, March 20 in the 100 block of Victoria Rd. at the corner of Milton St.

Nanaimo RCMP Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien said one person was stabbed multiple times and his condition in hospital remains unknown, while a search is underway for two people, a man and a woman, believed to be involved.

“The man is described as Caucasian, he’s tall, and he’s wearing possibly a green hoodie and may have a neck or face tattoo. The second individual is a Caucasian female, approximately 5’0″ to 5’2″, wearing a camouflage jacket and blue jeans.”

Mounties are canvassing the area for any security camera footage and are asking anyone who may have seen the suspects to contact the Nanaimo detachment at 1-250-754-2345.

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Vehicle and pedestrian traffic was stopped on Victoria Rd. between Milton and Prideaux streets Friday morning as police investigated.

Police Dog Services were called to the scene in an attempt to track down the suspects.

Witnesses on scene, including Tom Sheffield, provided emergency first aid to the victim, who is believed to be a man in his 40s.

Sheffield described a chaotic situation.

“My first thought is, just take my belt off and stop the bleeding. I was talking to him…I told him to keep talking, stay conscious, and he did, the whole time.”

Sheffield said the victim appeared to have stab wounds on his hip and the back of his leg, noting the victim was using a walker when he was attacked.

He saw a man and a woman running up the hill and away from the scene, then witnessed the victim falling.

“I started coming up and didn’t know what was going on, until I got to him. We got him over here, and I got the bleeding to stop. He could have been [in danger] if I didn’t come along and cut the blood off, he would have been in serious problems…cause he was losing blood quite fast.”

Tom Sheffield provided emergency first aid to the victim of a Friday morning stabbing in Nanaimo’s south end. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Doug Hiltz lives on Victoria Rd. directly across form the crime scene.

He came outside when he heard emergency sirens, thinking there may have been a motor vehicle accident.

“I came out, and there across the street, I saw them working on a guy sitting on the stairs. I saw them load him on a stretcher and take him up to the hospital. He’s still alive.”

Hiltz said the incident is indicative of a continuing worrying trend in the local area.

“It’s gotten worse. At one point, people used to watch out for each other. Stuff like this would never happen, and if it did, it’s usually inside a building, not out in the open. Now, it’s to the point where you don’t know who’s packing, what they’re packing, or what they’re going to do.”

Ironically, a final planning meeting for the volunteer-driven, anti-crime Nob Hill Block Watch organization was held inside the yoga studio on Sunday, March 15, just a few feet away from where the stabbing occurred.

Police stage outside the property on Friday morning, investigating a stabbing outside a local yoga studio. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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