Man who stabbed stranger at Vancouver Tim Hortons re-arrested after not returning to halfway house

The Vancouver Police Department shared this image of David Morin. (VPD)

The man convicted for randomly stabbing a stranger at a Tim Hortons three years ago has been re-arrested after failing to return to his halfway house by curfew, police say.

The Vancouver Police Department sent a notice around 9 p.m. Thursday saying David Morin was wanted Canada-wide and asked for the public to help find him.

Morin signed out of his halfway house in the city at 3 p.m. that day, and did not return by curfew as required by court-ordered conditions, the VPD said.

About 40 minutes later, police said patrol officers re-arrested Morin in the Downtown Eastside and took him to jail.

Morin was sentenced to three years in prison in June 2022 for attacking a Mexican tourist unprovoked inside the Harbour Centre Tim Hortons in January of that year.

The victim was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries but survived.

Morin was charged with aggravated assault and pleaded guilty to the crime that was caught on the coffee shop’s security cameras.

Two years into his sentence, in June 2024, the Correctional Service of Canada granted Morin statutory release and he moved into a halfway house in Vancouver.

At the time, police warned the public that the offender “poses a high risk of significant harm to the community.”

In late October, according to the VPD, police arrested Morin at the halfway house for allegedly consuming illicit drugs or alcohol, a breach of the conditions of his release.

He was once again released to the halfway house roughly one month later, and police again warned that Morin poses a risk to the public.

Morin’s court-bound release conditions include having no contact with the victim or anyone associated with criminal activity. He is not allowed to consume drugs or alcohol, cannot possess weapons, and must report any relationships with women to a parole supervisor.