A 24-year-old man has been charged in connection with a bizarre act of vandalism that flooded dozens floors in a downtown Vancouver high-rise earlier this week.
According to police, a suspect opened multiple standpipes in the hallways at 928 Beatty Street Monday, sending a torrent of water cascading down to the lobby and damaging several apartment units along the way.
Some residents’ carpets were soaked throughout their homes, while other units were unaffected – though the flooding also put the 37-storey building’s elevator out of commission.
There is no estimate yet of how much overall damage was caused.
On Wednesday, police announced that Salvador Villarreral-Gomez had been charged with one count of mischief over $5,000.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said high rise standpipes are made easy to access in case of emergencies.
Capt. Gabe Roder said it would be a mistake to limit accessibility because of one unusual incident.
