Parole documents obtained by CTV News are shedding new light on the criminal history of a man who, according to a source, was arrested in connection with a violent attack in Vancouver's West End this week.
Police confirmed Tuesday they had taken a 34-year-old suspect into custody after a woman was followed into her apartment building near Bute and Pendrell streets at around 3 a.m. on Saturday and attacked. A source told CTV News the arrest was related to the search for a halfway house runaway.
Tyler Gagnon, who is also 34, was reported missing from his Vancouver halfway house hours before the incident.
According to parole documents, Gagnon's history with police goes back nearly six years.
In 2012, the documents show, he threw a rock at a motor home belonging to his mother's boyfriend and broke into a residence. According to the parole board, Gagnon has also stolen multiple vehicles and robbed a bank by using a note indicating that he was carrying a gun.
Gagnon also has convictions for property and breach of trust offences as well as violent offences, including assault with intent to steal, attempted armed robbery and robbery with violence.
Gagnon's statutory release was revoked in June 2017 after he was suspected of having been involved in a motor vehicle theft. According to the documents, Gagnon was unlawfully at large for 233 days and crashed an uninsured car while being chased by police. Testing at the time revealed illicit substances in his system, the documents show.
The parole board revoked his statutory release again on Sept. 27 of this year citing his "extensive" criminal history and a breach of curfew on June 13, just six days after the start of his most recent release after which Gagnon remained unlawfully at large for five days.
"You have used physical violence, threats of violence, and weapons," the parole board wrote in its decision. "Your history under community supervision is described as poor and you have demonstrated difficulty abiding by conditions."
Vancouver police put out a Canada-wide arrest warrant for Gagnon after he failed to show up to his halfway house. Officers arrests Gagnon at around 4 p.m. on Sunday in the city's Kitsilano neighbourhood, nearly 48 hours after he allegedly breached his curfew.
One criminology expert says Gagnon's most recent breach of his release conditions might come down to the availability of parole officers.
"Re-offending continues to be a challenge for any parole system," Simon Fraser University Professor Rob Gordon told CTV. "That's the weak link in the whole chain."
Investigators said they will not reveal the identity of the suspect arrested in connection with the West End assault until charges against them are approved by Crown counsel.
The suspect remains in custody.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Hurst
Below are the parole board documents. Viewing this on a mobile device? Click here to read the documents.
