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Naked intruder chased from Vancouver home by shovel-wielding senior, police say

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A 72-year-old Vancouver woman used a shovel to chase a naked intruder from her home Tuesday night, according to local police.

The man broke into the home near Cambie Street and West 41st Avenue by "smashing a window with a pointed metal rod," the Vancouver Police Department said in a post on social media Wednesday.

In an email to CTV News, police confirmed the incident happened around 9:30 p.m.

The resident "ran out of bed, grabbed a shovel and chased the combative man from her house as he swung the rod at her," police said.

VPD officers responded to the scene and found that the resident had "cornered the suspect in his vehicle," according to the post, which indicates that the man remains in custody and has been charged.

Balraj Singh Rahal has been charged with breaking and entering and assault with a weapon, police said in their email.

Online court records for the case indicate Rahal is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Asked for an explanation of why the suspect had a vehicle nearby, police said the motive for the break-in is not yet known.

"Mental health could be a factor as the two don’t know each other," said VPD spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin, in the email.

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