Multiple arrests have been made and several weapons including loaded guns, knives and bear spray seized after what Vancouver police are calling a ‘volatile’ weekend in the Downtown Eastside.
According to the VPD, three men in balaclavas were arrested on West Hastings early Sunday morning after they were spotted jaywalking by officers near Abbott Street.
When they were stopped and ticketed, it was discovered one reportedly had a loaded handgun and the others had knives and bear spray.
Twenty-two-year-old Kaugen Bull has been charged with two firearms related offences, including possession of a firearm.
On Saturday morning, officers recovered a loaded Glock handgun and illicit drugs after arresting a 25-year-old man during a foot chase near Columbia and East Hastings.
Patrolling officers initially saw the man commit a bylaw offence, and say he tried to run away from officers before being arrested a block away.
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Police believe he possessed the drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
The suspect, identified as Garret Thomas, has been charged with possession of a prohibited firearm.
Two men were arrested after a woman in her 30s was bear sprayed outside the Carnegie Centre at Main and East Hastings.
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The suspect was tracked to a tent near the Patricia Hotel, where officers seized a sawed-off shotgun.
A man in his 20s from Winnipeg and a 40-year-old Alberta man are due back in court in April.
Finally, a man was apprehended Tuesday after he was seen riding his bike recklessly through traffic and on the sidewalk on East Hastings, police said.
According to VPD, he had bail conditions not to be in the area and when he was arrested they found a cache of weapons — including a gun, machete, bear spray and a baton.
The incidents come as officers continue to investigate a shooting near Main and Hastings Sunday afternoon that left a 31-year-old man with serious injuries.
Investigators from VPD’s Major Crime Section and Organized Crime Section are looking into the cases to determine if they are linked.
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