Stephanie Knight, daughter of Mike Gunther, worries about the future of the family business following Mike's injury.

By Tommy Osborne

Downtown Crime

Eye injury inflicted by attacker causes concern, uncertainty, for local business

May 12, 2025 | 4:53 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – On May 7, Mike Gunther, owner of BST Performance Automotive, suffered an eye injury when he was attacked by a man wielding pliers. The incident took place in the morning when Gunther noticed a man allegedly attempting to steal equipment from the neighbouring business, Summit Powertools, and confronted him.

“It’s been a stressful couple days. My dad got out of the hospital late Friday (May 9) afternoon. As he was being released, they noticed some more damage that is causing him to be sent down to Vancouver to see a retina specialist because it’s been detached from his eye. So he has to get another surgery today (May 12) or later this week,” said Gunther’s daughter, Stephanie Knight.

Knight explained her father arrived to open his business, and that’s when he noticed the alleged thief jumping over the barbed wire fence separating Summit power Tools and BST Performance Automotive. A physical altercation ensued, where Gunther was attacked with the pliers, causing the severe eye damage. The specific plier moment happened outside the range of security footage, so it is still unknown whether it was thrown, stabbed, or a separate motion entirely.

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“It’s been stressful for him, all that unknown. After the surgery, there’s going to be another one in a couple months to repair his tear duct. So we’re going to be going through it all again here in a few months once his eye is healed,” Knight said.

Gunther’s health is the clear top priority for his family, but managing the family business has been another big concern. Without Gunther, Knight says there is serious concern for the immediate future of the business.

“If his eye isn’t working, if it doesn’t get fixed, are we going to be able to keep the shop open? Thank goodness my brother is able to take time off work from Brandt Tractor right now to be able to keep the appointments flowing through, and I’m on maternity leave so I can run the front office, but what’s going to happen after this?” Knight said.

The potential lost business, on top of the additional costs of hotels and flights to Vancouver, has been an exclamation point on the frustration felt by Gunther’s family. Downtown crime and violence have been a problem businesses have faced for years, and Knight is fed up.

“I’m not too thrilled on how our justice system is handling the homeless people right now. Like they’re just releasing them after they take a quick statement on what happened, and they’re back out doing the exact same thing, stealing and hurting all our small businesses downtown. I’m not thrilled with the City of Prince George for just dumping them down here without a word, and I’m not happy with our justice system,” she said.

Prince George RCMP say they swarmed the area following the attack with a dog team and a helicopter, but were unable to find the man. The investigation remains ongoing, and RCMP said the next step is now reviewing surveillance footage, and collecting information from any witnesses who may have additional information.

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