A dramatic arrest in Kitsilano on Sunday captured the attention of locals as police chased down a man near a local pet store and deployed a beanbag gun to subdue him.
The Vancouver Police Department responded to the Arbutus Greenway near Maple Street around noon after neighbours reported a suspicious man going through backyards in the area, Sgt. Steve Addison said in a news release.
When officers arrived, local residents said the man had been threatening them and was armed with a pair of garden shears.
A chase began after police located the suspect, with the suspect apparently barricading himself in an industrial dumpster behind a pet shop near Arbutus Street and West 11th Avenue.
Locals in the area reported hearing shots fired near the pet store, and the commotion drew a crowd. According to one witness, there were heavily armed police officers in the area, as well as multiple police vehicles and an ambulance.
It turns out the gunfire sounds were tied to a beanbag shotgun police used on the suspect.
Officers first used a police dog to find the suspect at the bottom of the dumpster, but police said the man began fighting the dog after it bit him. That’s when an officer used the beanbag gun and arrested him.
The 31-year-old suspect was injured in the arrest and is receiving medical treatment while he remains in custody. He was already wanted for assault, assault by choking, uttering threats, and mischief. The VPD has recommended additional charges be considered after Sunday’s incident.
#VPDNews: #VPD officers arrested an armed man hiding in a dumpster today, after reports a suspicious man was going through people’s backyards along the Arbutus Greenway, and threatening people with gardening shears. https://t.co/3zZKr2ZcXY pic.twitter.com/HRFRNx45JP
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) January 6, 2025