Surrey has recorded its first homicide of 2020.
Surrey RCMP say officers were called to 120th Street near 75A avenue around 12:50 a.m. on Thursday to reports of an assault in progress.
Officers arrived to find a man dead at the scene. Police say he did not have any known ties to gangs or drug trafficking.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) says several people witnessed the fight, and that one of them followed the suspect from a distance as he fled the scene.
Police say they located a 33-year-old man nearby, who was arrested and remains in police custody.
Investigators also seized a weapon that was potentially used in the attack.
Investigators were holding a second scene Thursday morning, where a black backpack and hunting-style knife could be seen behind police tape.
“One of the witnesses did a good job of keeping an eye on the suspect from a safe distance after he fled the scene, and was able to direct police to his whereabouts,” Const. Harrison Mohr said in a media release.
“Surrey RCMP officers responded quickly and arrested the suspect minutes after the altercation, and also located a possible weapon involved in the murder.”
Investigators have not identified the victim, and are still working to determine if anyone else was involved in the incident, or if the two parties knew each other.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Surrey RCMP or Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous.