Charges laid after 26 buses damaged by BB guns on DTES
Editor’s Note: Police say the Canada-wide warrant has ended for William Tallio. He was arrested Wednesday by VPD.
A man is facing nearly two dozen criminal charges after several buses travelling through Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside were damaged earlier this year.
A joint investigation was launched by the Vancouver Police Department and Metro Vancouver Transit Police after a suspect allegedly fired BB rounds at buses causing smashed windows and placing people on board in danger.
The VPD and transit police were able to narrow down that the 26 buses would have been damaged on East Hastings Street, between Columbia and Carrall streets, between January 17 and January 31.
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“This was a difficult investigation, given the number of buses that were targeted and because none of the crimes were immediately reported,” VPD Sergeant Steve Addison said in a statement. “Investigators worked backwards to pinpoint the exact location where the crimes occurred, to identify the suspect, and to gather evidence linking the suspect to the crimes.”
. @TransitPolice are investigating multiple incidents of bus windows being broken in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. The damage is limited to bus exterior panes, indicating a low level of impact.
— Media Relations for Metro Vancouver Transit Police (@MVTP_Media) January 26, 2022
In most cases, police say the bus drivers didn’t notice the damage until after their shift.
VPD added there was no report filed by bus passengers, and no injuries were reported.
The BC Prosecution Service charged a 43-year-old suspect, William Tallio, on August 29.
Tallio was wanted Canada-wide for 11 counts of mischief and 11 counts of possession of a weapon related to the offences that occurred between January 19 and January 29.