Kidnapping case: 4 suspects charged after victim taken from vehicle at gunpoint, Vancouver police say

Police cars are seen parked outside Vancouver Police Department headquarters in Vancouver, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

VANCOUVER -

Four people have been charged in what Vancouver police describe as a kidnapping case that also involved armed home invasions.

Officers said the kidnapping occurred in September. In a news release Thursday they said four people took the victim from a vehicle at gunpoint in nearby Richmond.

They did not provide many details on what is alleged to have happened, but said the victim was restrained and assaulted, and was left with "significant" but non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers did not disclose a possible motive in the case, but said the victim was rescued by Vancouver police in Richmond. The suspects were taken into custody "following a brief pursuit," police said.

And they added that the group was already under investigation when the incident in Richmond occurred.

"In August, Vancouver Police Property Crime detectives initiated a project into a group that was believed to be responsible for a series of armed home invasions and residential break-and-enters through Metro Vancouver," Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement announcing the charges.

But she told CTV News the victim was not connected to the August investigation.

Four people have been charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault causing bodily harm and using a firearm in the commission of an offence.

One of the suspects has not been named, with police citing a court-imposed publication ban. The others are Ashley Smith and Michael Husain, both 30, and Harman Parmar, age 24.

The three named suspects remain in police custody. None of the charges has been proven in court.