Mounties are investigating after an 18-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries in a baseball bat attack in Nanaimo.
The Nanaimo RCMP say the attack happened just before 5 p.m. Friday on Bruce Avenue near Dundas Street.
Witnesses told investigators that a suspect wearing a mask approached the victim, struck him with the bat and kicked him before fleeing on foot with a group of four or five youths.
Bystanders provided first aid to the victim until first responders arrived on scene.
Paramedics transported the man to hospital in Nanaimo. He was later airlifted to hospital in Victoria with life-threatening injuries.
Mounties say they have located a vehicle associated with the assault and have seized it for forensic examination. Investigators have identified the registered owner of the vehicle.
No arrests have been made and the suspect remains at large.
"This was a vicious attack carried out in broad daylight that has shocked the community," Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Gary O'Brien said in a statement Monday.
"We want to assure people that this is a priority investigation and that the investigators are focused on identifying who is responsible, and holding them accountable for their actions."
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
