The home of West Vancouver's former police chief was the target of arson Friday morning and police are connecting the blaze to a strange series of attacks on people linked to the Justice Institute of B.C.
Scott Armstrong's house in the 1000-block of Lawson Avenue was set on fire around 2:40 a.m. but the flames were quickly extinguished by firefighters, who were able to contain the damage to the front of the home. Armstrong was chief of the West Vancouver Police Department until 2006.
Police were called to the scene and determined that the blaze was lit intentionally. Mounties have now confirmed the connection between Armstrong and JIBC, the New Westminster school where aspiring police officers train. Before Friday, a total of 13 people associated with JIBC had been targeted in a series of fires and shootings.
Investigators do not believe the residents of the West Vancouver home had been targeted before now, bringing the total number of victims to 14.
Mounties say none of the victims are affiliated with criminal activity and no one has been physically harmed in the attacks. The targets include employees, past students and others "loosely linked" to JIBC.
Police first discovered the connection between the incidents in September, when they said 10 people had been targeted since April. In some cases, people's cars and homes were set ablaze, while in others shots were fired at their vehicles.
Last weekend, a Surrey home was attacked for the third time when someone tried to set the front entrance ablaze. The house had also been the scene of another fire and a shooting.
In December, Mounties announced a bizarre twist in their investigation into the crimes when a female claims adjustor at ICBC was accused of improperly accessing the private information of 65 people, including all of those targeted in the arsons and shootings.
The insurance employee was fired without severance last month and remains under police investigation.
Staff and students at JIBC have been warned about the attacks, and school officials say they have stepped up security.
