WATCH: It’s been a terrifying day for some Port Moody residents, after multiple schools were locked down when police received calls about an assault. Rumina Daya reports.
VANCOUVER – A police incident that started in Port Moody and placed multiple schools on lockdown Tuesday morning is over. A 31-year-old suspect is now in custody.
Vahidreza Bordbar was charged on Wednesday with two counts of sexually assaulting a victim / witness using a firearm, breaking and entering with intent to commit offence and possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition.
He appeared in court on Wednesday, barefoot, with cuts on his right cheek and forehead. He did not have a lawyer, but was represented by City council, and has agreed to be seen by a doctor. He has been remanded into custody until his next court appearance on Friday morning.
Port Moody police responded to a report of a robbery and assault in the area of Aspenwood Park early Monday morning after two women, who were walking through the area, were allegedly attacked from behind. The male suspect allegedly knocked one woman to the ground and a struggle ensued. During the assault the man pulled out a knife.
Both women fought off the attacker but he managed to steal one victim’s purse, which contained her identification and keys, before fleeing the area. The two women had minor injuries as a result of the attack.
On Tuesday residents reported a heavy police presence in the Heritage Mountain area, at about 8:10 a.m. Port Moody Police said in a statement the man showed up at the victim’s residence with a gun and a fight broke out between the man and homeowner. The homeowner was able to fight off the intruder and the suspect fled. The homeowner was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
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Police were on the scene following the incident and were able to recover the gun and start a search for the suspect.
Residents in the area were told to stay inside their homes and the lockdown of seven schools has now been lifted. Aspenwood Elementary, Eagle Mountain Middle School, Heritage Woods Secondary and Elementary, Anmore Elementary School and Pleasantside Elementary School were all on lockdown for hours.
Bramblewood Elementary School in Coquitlam was locked down as well.
Then, at 10:30 a.m., Coquitlam RCMP received a report of an assault and robbery near a parking lot at Eagle Mountain. The same suspect had attacked a female and stolen her car. Port Moody police said the suspect had sexually assaulted the woman prior to stealing her car. She was taken to the hospital to have her injuries treated.
Officers were able to apprehend the suspect in the vehicle and a 31-year-old Coquitlam resident is now in police custody.
Police say the man is not known to them and the investigation is on-going.
WATCH: Dramatic video of the takedown of the suspect
Kathryn McMullen, who lives in the area of Sycamore Drive and Hawthorn Drive, says she put her kids (ages four and 10 months) in the bathtub when she saw police with their guns drawn on the street.
“I was hiding them because I wasn’t sure, all that silly stuff you hear on the news lately, I was just trying to keep them away,” says McMullen. “I know it might be a little bit excessive but I wasn’t really sure what was going on.”
-with files from Rumina Daya
WATCH: Raw video of police searching cars and homes in Port Moody:
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