Kidnapping case: 4 suspects charged after victim taken from vehicle at gunpoint, Vancouver police say
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.