Pellet gun fired at police, paramedics on Downtown Eastside: VPD

A man is in custody after allegedly shooting a pellet gun at paramedics and police officers from the window of a Downtown Eastside SRO Sunday, according to authorities.

Officers were called around 11 p.m. to the alleyway laneway behind the Carnegie Centre near Main and East Hastings streets, where paramedics were working, according to a statement from the Vancouver Police Department.

"Someone began firing from above, striking the first responders and their ambulance. The paramedics took shelter and notified Vancouver police, who were also struck with pellets as they arrived on scene," says spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison, adding that one officer suffered "minor injuries."

The department's Emergency Response Team was deployed to search the Maple Hotel, a single-room occupancy building with 81 units, and arrested a 45-year-old man. According to the VPD, the suspect was on bail for a previous assault and wanted on a warrant for theft.

The man was due to appear in court on Monday. Police say he is facing multiple charges, but that the suspect's name will not be released until the charges are approved by Crown. 

According to the VPD, the incident was one of several serious calls that police received in the area over the weekend.

In one case, a senior using a motorized scooter was "struck in the head with an object" by a stranger. In another, the window of a bus was broken after being hit with a "projectile."