Stolen vehicle found in Surrey with loaded firearm, jerry can of gas inside: RCMP

A Surrey RCMP vehicle is pictured. (Jordan Jiang / CTV News Vancouver)

Mounties discovered a loaded firearm and a jerry can full of gasoline inside a stolen vehicle found in Surrey last month.

Surrey RCMP said they were alerted when an off-duty police officer noticed a suspicious vehicle with mismatched plates in the 13800 block of 104 Avenue on May 24.

Officers arrived on scene to find the vehicle empty, with one licence plate that had been reported stolen.

“Two individuals returned to the parked vehicle and a 39-year-old man, believed to be the driver, who is known to police, was transported to Surrey RCMP cells and held in custody,” Mounties said in a news release Friday, adding the second individual was released pending further investigation.

RCMP said the vehicle was reported stolen from Coquitlam in November 2022.

“We often see stolen vehicles connected to other crimes, including shootings where a suspect vehicle is located on fire at another location,” said Cpl. Vanessa Munn in the release. “In this case, an off-duty police officer followed their instincts and reported the suspicious vehicle, leading to the arrest, firearm seizure, and very likely the prevention of further acts of violence.”