VANCOUVER Police officers were very busy Tuesday night as they responded to multiple high priority 9-1-1 calls over a four-hour period. Police typically respond to about 800 calls for service each day.
Here’s a summary of the most serious calls from Tuesday evening.
- Just before 3:30 p.m., officers closed down one lane of traffic on Lions Gate Bridge to conduct a thorough marine search for a police incident on the bridge. Patrol officers responded to the bridge and officers from the VPD Marine Unit assisted from the water.
- At about 5:30 p.m., a small group of protestors shut down traffic at Main and Hastings streets. The protestors stopped traffic for about an hour while protesting and performing cultural rituals before leaving the area. VPD officers monitored the protest to ensure the safety of the protestors and the public.
- At around 6:30 p.m. officers were called when a witness saw a man place a black gun into a backpack a short distance away from Expo Boulevard and Griffiths Way. Multiple police resources, including the Emergency Response Team, were dispatched to respond. Officers located the man and recovered a replica Smith and Wesson handgun with clip, which the owner relinquished.
- At 7 p.m. officers were called to an “assault-in-progress” call near East Broadway and St. Georges Street involving one suspect and two victims. Police arrived on scene very quickly and arrested a 40-year-old Vancouver resident for assault. The two people attacked were rushed to hospital with serious injuries. They have since been treated and released. The man arrested remains in custody, and may face charges of assault and impaired driving.
Anyone who witnesses a criminal act or suspicious activity is asked to call 9-1-1.