Chilliwack RCMP say incident on Watson Road involved theft from business, threats to harm police and infrastructure

CHILLIWACK — What began as a complaint of theft from a local Sardis business escalated into a heavy police presence Monday evening (Apr. 1) in which a lone male allegedly made threats to harm police and damage local infrastructure.

The unusual tale unfolded on Monday, April 1 at 2:25 p.m. when the Chilliwack RCMP received a complaint of a theft from a local business in the Sardis area of Chilliwack, according to a statement from Chilliwack RCMP Corporal Carmen Kiener.

Chilliwack RCMP frontline members responded to the theft complaint at which time a preliminary investigation led them to the 45000 block of Watson Road in Chilliwack. Police engaged with the lone male occupant of the residence who allegedly made threats to hurt police and cause undisclosed damage to local infrastructure. Cpl. Kiener said the assistance of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team was required to safely take the male into custody without incident.

Police say they learned during the investigation that there may have been a suspicious substance inside the residence that could have represented a risk to the public. The residence was secured by police and through a thorough risk assessment, police determined an evacuation of the neighbourhood was not warranted.