Task force police arrest Abbotsford man for possessing a loaded gun, breaching conditions

VANCOUVER — A Vancouver police task force entrusted with maintaining peace and ushering in greater safety in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has arrested a 33-year-old Abbotsford man who was in possession of a loaded gun.

According to a statement from police, VPD officers working in the DTES area of Vancouver responded to a report of a man with a gun near Main Street and Powell Avenue Friday afternoon (Feb. 14). A witness had called 9-1-1 to alert police. VPD personnel responded immediately and located the armed suspect about three blocks away near East Hastings and Gore Avenue.

The suspect was taken to jail. The Abbotsford man was on bail at the time of his arrest and had conditions not to possess firearms, VPD said.

VPD says the task force barrage was initiated to disrupt criminal networks that operate in the Downtown Eastside. On Saturday evening, Feb. 15, officers conducting foot patrols in a lane near East Hastings made an arrest and located what they estimated were hundreds of dollars in stolen merchandise. Police say the property had been likely stolen earlier in the day and was being brought to DTES to be fenced on the street.