Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they arrested a suspected gangster outside a busy Burnaby mall on Tuesday, who was caught with a loaded handgun.
Police say they spotted Luis Manuel Baez, “a man with alleged gang affiliation,” smoking pot in a prohibited area outside Metropolis at Metrotown shortly before 4 p.m.
When officers approached and began speaking to him, police say Baez fled to a nearby car and tried to drive away.
A struggle both inside and outside the car ensued, police say, during which Baez is alleged to have pulled a loaded .45 caliber handgun out of his waist band and thrown under another parked car.
The 23-year-old from Surrey, who investigators said is “well known to police,” remains in custody and is facing firearms and obstruction charges.
The arrest comes as police agencies across Metro Vancouver seek to crack down on gangs, following a deadly month with a dozen shootings, nine of them fatal.
On Wednesday, Surrey RCMP also put out a public appeal to try and locate Brothers Keepers gangster Naseem Mohammed, who they described as “armed and dangerous,” and is wanted on multiple arrest warrants.
On Monday, Vancouver police publicly named six alleged gang members they said posed a “significant risk” to public safety amid concerns about escalating violence in public places.