New Westminster police are still trying to track down two suspects who attempted to shoot a police officer Monday morning.
At about 10 a.m. on May 18, officers responded to reports of a couple sleeping in a vehicle in a private parkade at First Street and Royal Avenue, according to police. When officers approached the vehicle, one of the occupants pulled out a firearm and pointed it at police. The suspect allegedly attempted to pull the trigger but it failed to discharge, leaving the officer unscathed.
The suspects sped away, and despite a police pursuit through New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver, managed to evade police. The vehicle was last seen around 11 a.m. near Southeast Marine Drive and Inverness Street in Vancouver. It was eventually located about nine hours later by Vancouver police in the driveway of a home in Southeast Vancouver.
“The residents have nothing to do with the occurrence, it just looks like a random dumping spot,” Johnston said. “So we have the vehicle and our forensics team is working on it, and that’s kind of where we stand right now. We still haven’t identified the occupants and our major crime unit is still working around the clock right now.”
While the forensic team process the 2015 Buick Lacrosse, which had Alberta license plates, major crime investigators are in contact with police departments across the Lower Mainland and in neighbouring Alberta in hopes of identifying the two suspects, Johnston told the Record.
“We’re taking tips and that extends all the way into our other agencies in Alberta that we’re working with,” he added.
So far, the identity of the two suspects remains unknown.
The first suspect, the driver, is described as a Caucasian man with dark hair, soul patch goatee and full sleeve tattoos and a tattoo on the left side of his neck. At the time of the incident he was wearing a short sleeve shirt and a black baseball hat. He was also wearing a hoop earring in his left ear.
The second suspect, the passenger, is described as a Caucasian woman with red/orange hair and acne or pock marks on her face. She was wearing a tank top and tights with a flower pattern.
Anyone with information on the identity of the two suspects is asked to contact Det. Fiona Reid with the New Westminster police at 604-525-5411, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
The suspects are considered armed and dangerous.
“If anybody sees anyone who matches the descriptions (and) they think it might be them, do not approach them, just call 911,” Johnston said.
