Young female student randomly attacked in Downtown, hit over the back of the head with a pole

Vancouver police say they're investigating a possible hate crime after a 19-year-old woman was assaulted while walking in the city's downtown.

Police say the young Asian woman was hit over the back of the head with a pole by a man she didn't know on Tuesday.

They say the suspect reportedly used a racial slur and then fled the area.

Const. Jason Doucette says in a statement that while there were other people walking in the block at the time, they couldn’t have prevented the attack because it was so sudden.

Police say witnesses called 911 and stayed with the victim, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, until first responders arrived.

The suspect hasn't been found.