Suspects believed to have used weapons, may be tied to more car-parts thefts: Vancouver police
Police believe the suspects charged with one count each of theft are linked to several more similar crimes in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Police Department announced Wednesday that two men had been charged with theft and mischief in relation to the thefts of catalytic converters.
It's an ongoing problem in the region. A loophole allows these parts to be sold at scrapyards without identification, unlike with regulated metals. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/gap-in-metal-recycling-law-allows-criminals-to-sell-catalytic-converters-without-id-as-reports-of-thefts-surge-1.5509330
While police didn't give an update Wednesday into the total known thefts of the specific car part this year, there had been 195 reports by the end of June, more than double the number reported in the same six months of 2020.
In a news release announcing the latest arrests, police said they'd been notified of 18 catalytic converter thefts over the last seven days in the city, and police in other jurisdictions have also reported increases.
The investigation into the men who were recently charged, 27-year-old Tyson Fust and 50-year-old Richard Mantler, began back in July.
Police called them "prolific" suspects, and said they believe the men are involved in several thefts, though they've each only been charged with one.
According to the VPD, the investigation is ongoing, and detectives have "hopes" to connect their suspects with other incidents.
As has been the case in some of the reported thefts, the men whose arrests were just announced are accused of more than just taking the car parts.
"In addition to the thefts, investigative techniques revealed these two suspects were also stealing licence plates and using weapons, such as bear spray, during the commission of the offences," Const. Tania Visintin said in a news release.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.