West Vancouver police have arrested two people and are looking for one more suspect — a 22-year-old man from Bowen Island — after a violent armed robbery in an alleged drug deal gone wrong Saturday evening.
Police say a 17-year-old West Vancouverite called 911 after being robbed and beaten by two men after attempting to buy illegal prescription Xanax from them. They arranged to meet up on the 4900 block of Marine Drive near The Dale around 7 p.m., but when the teen got into the suspects’ car, his would-be dealers allegedly threatened him with what appeared to be a gun and demanded he hand over his cash and his cellphone.
“As the person is leaving the vehicle, there are words exchanged and it’s alleged one suspect jumps out and begins to punch and assault the victim followed by a second suspect getting out and separately assaulting him with punches, primarily,” said Const. Jeff Palmer, West Vancouver police spokesman.
The teen received cuts and bruises in the attack.
When the assailants saw that other witnesses had come to the scene, they got back in their car and bolted. The witnesses offered the victim use of a cellphone to call for help and got the vehicle’s description and licence plate number.
West Vancouver police stepped up patrols in the area and quickly set up armed roadblocks, looking to stop the suspects from slipping out of the community.
“It can be a big inconvenience to the public, but in this case, we had information that a firearm may have been involved in an offence and so it was quite urgent that we locate the suspects,” Palmer said. “With information from the victim, we were able to identify suspects, one of whom we were able to, in fairly short order, locate at a West Vancouver home and apprehend without incident.”
That suspect, a 17-year-old, has been held in custody and police are seeking charges of robbery with a firearm, uttering threats and assault.
Just before 9 p.m. police spotted the suspect vehicle, an older Chevy Cavalier, as the driver was attempting to get on the highway at Taylor Way. They arrested the driver, a 19-year-old North Vancouver woman, and released her for a future court date in July. Police are seeking to have her charged as an accessory after the fact.
Investigators now know the identity of the third suspect involved in the alleged robbery and assault, a 22-year-old Bowen Island man, and are seeking a B.C.-wide warrant for his arrest.
No firearm has been recovered in the investigation so far.
Police say there was a fourth person in the car; however, investigators don’t believe he had any involvement in the attack.
Anyone with information about the incident or the third suspect’s whereabouts is asked to contact West Vancouver Police Department at 604-925-7300.
