VPD responds to several "serious" calls in span of hours on Tuesday night

Vancouver Police Department says they had a “very busy” Tuesday night after responding to multiple high-priority emergency calls over a four-hour period.

The incidents began just before 3:30 pm when officers shut down a lane of traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge to conduct a “thorough marine search” related to a police incident on the bridge. Officers from the VPD Marine Unit assisted with the operation on water.

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At about 5:30 pm, VPD were called to the intersection of Main and Hastings streets, where a small group of protesters shut down traffic. Police say the demonstrators halted traffic for about an hour while “protesting and performing cultural rituals before leaving the area.”

At about 6:30 pm, police were called to an incident a short distance away from Expo Boulevard and Griffiths Way, where a witness spotted a man placing a black gun into a backpack. Several police resources attended the scene, including the Emergency Response Team. The man was located and police recovered a replica Smith and Wesson handgun with a clip, which the suspect gave up to police.

The final incident took place at 7 pm when officers were called to an “assault-in-progress” at East Broadway and St. Georges Street involving one suspect and two victims. Officers arrested a 40-year-old Vancouver resident on scene for assault. Two victims were attacked and rushed to hospital with “serious injuries,” and they have been treated and since released. The man arrested remains in custody and VPD says he may face charges of assault and impaired driving.

VPD is reminding anyone who witnesses a criminal act or suspicious activity to call 911.