Vancouver Police ramping up search for Leeside Skatepark arson suspects (VIDEO)

Vancouver Police are asking for the public’s help to identify two men who are believed to be responsible for an arson at the Leeside Skatepark.

Around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21st, two men walked into the Leeside Tunnel located at 3399 East Hastings Street and deliberately set fire to a collection of tires, ramps and construction material .

The fire is believed to have been started with the use of an accelerant that one of the men brought to the tunnel in a gas can.

The tunnel suffered significant cosmetic and structural damage as a result of the blaze, notably, a mural celebrating the life of Lee Matasi, a Vancouver artist and skateboarder who was gunned down outside a Vancouver nightclub on December 3rd, 2005.

Police are releasing a video and still image of one of the men in hopes that the public can identify him.

The man is believed to be white, around 30 years old, with a medium build and short, cropped hair. He was wearing a dark, varsity-style jacket with brown sleeves, dark pants and runners, and may have been carrying a pair of work boots.

Investigators are asking anyone who has information about this fire, or who knows the identity of these men, to contact the Vancouver Police Department at (604) 717-2541 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Source/Image: Vancouver Police Department