A Langley mother pleaded for witnesses to come forward after an attack last weekend put her 20-year-old son in the hospital in serious condition.
Diane Shannon’s son Cole was celebrating his birthday Saturday night in Pitt Meadows.
At about 2:25 a.m. Sunday morning, he was assaulted outside a Subway restaurant in the 12400 block of Harris Road.
Ridge Meadows RCMP say a group of men got into an altercation, which quickly turned violent.
They knocked Cole to the ground then walked away.
Since the incident, Shannon and Cole’s other family members have been spending their days at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital.
“With the head injury, he sleeps a lot,” said Shannon.
“It’s day to day, we don’t know what he’s going to be like when he comes out of this.”
As far as Shannon can determine, her son and a friend came out of Roosters Country Cabaret and headed over to the Subway.
His friend was apparently outside, trying to phone for a cab when a group of young people came up and got into a fight with Cole’s friend.
Cole apparently walked outside and was punched. He fell and struck his head.
The attackers then walked away from the scene.
Shannon has been told that only one person in the Subway came out to help – a 26-year-old woman who stayed with Cole until the ambulance arrived.
“Investigators have spoken to some witnesses, but are still looking for others who have information regarding this incident,” said Ridge Meadows RCMP Cpl. Brenda Winpenny.
She said police are in the initial stages of an ongoing investigation.
After the attack, officers headed to Shannon’s Langley home and woke her up at 4 a.m. to drive her to the hospital.
“It was the worst nightmare of my life,” Shannon told the Langley Advance.
She has already seen the trauma head injuries can do, as her brother was affected by a 1977 incident.
“The doctors say it’s just wait and see,” Mom explained.
So far there have been some positive signs. Earlier this week, Cole was taken off life support and he is now breathing on his own.
He is waking up briefly at times and communicating, and he seems to have his motor functions. The family won’t know if he’s suffered a brain injury until he wakes up fully.
Shannon is asking anyone who knows the people who attacked her son to come forward.
“If you know who did this, please turn them in,” she said.
Her son is an apprentice electrician with his whole life ahead of him. Now she’s worried that may be ruined by one person’s desire to go looking for a fight.
“Please turn them in and do the right thing,” she pleaded.
Anyone with information is asked to call Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
In the meantime, Mounties confirmed Wednesday that investigators are making headway and following up on leads.