A prolific offender who had been on a crime spree in Squamish has been arrested and removed from the community, Sgt. Gareth Bradley informed the Squamish council at a Committee of the Whole meeting on March 28. Bradley and other local officers were at the council chamber to present the annual report.
Staff Sgt. Bradley said the individual was reported to be swinging weapons at people, breaking lanterns and signs, and hitting vehicles in concerning police incidents reported in Squamish in 2022 and 2023. After the arrest, a comprehensive bail package was submitted. The accused is currently on conditions not to return to the Squamish district.
Bradley said the arrest was significant because of the intense hate the accused received on social media. “This one was significant just because this person had such intense hate from online social media, and the person’s name was everywhere, so this was a significant arrest in terms of public perception,” he said.
Man stalking partner arrested
Staff Sgt. Bradley also highlighted another investigation over several months in 2023. The Special Victims Unit identified a high-risk domestic offender who was causing offences against their ex-partner, including stalking them across the country using GPS devices and social media.
The accused was arrested in the Lower Mainland after the General Investigation Section, General Duty Officers, and Special Victims Unit worked with multiple RCMP detachments throughout the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and the Ontario Provincial Police. The accused remains in custody, and the matter is before the courts.
Squamish RCMP also charged a man after seizing 19 firearms and 8,000 rounds of ammunition from him last year. In another incident, Staff Sgt.Bradley said a police officer patrolling the community was also able to locate an individual who had a loaded shotgun in their backpack while being in a public place in Downtown Squamish.
Staff Sgt. Bradley noted that there was almost a 24% increase in violent crimes in 2023, with a significant portion being sexual assaults and intimate partner violence offences. However, he added that considerable efforts have been made to ensure officers have trauma-informed training practices to support victims. Collaborative work with partners such as Pearl Space and Under One Roof has also been undertaken to determine how best to support victims so that they are willing to come and report these crimes to the police, he added.
