Vancouver police Thursday seized a third stash of weapons in the Downtown Eastside in just over a week.
Sgt. Aaron Roed, a media relations officer, said just before 1 p.m. on March 4 VPD officers received a tip about a large amount of weapons in a suite near Dunlevy and East Cordova streets. After obtaining a warrant, officers searched the suite and found nine imitation guns, ammunition, swords, hatchets and several other suspected stolen items.
Officers continue to investigate and no arrests have been made.
In all, officers seized:
- nine imitation firearms
- firearm parts, including barrels
- 12-gauge shotgun shells
- swords
- knives
- hatchets
- handmade weapons
- stun baton
- bear spray
- BB pellets and paintball rounds
“More weapons have now been removed from the street,” Roed said in a press release. “We will continue to take steps to improve safety in the area for everyone.”
This is the third weapons seizure in the neighbourhood in the last nine days.
On Feb. 27, police uncovered a sizable cache of weapons while investigating reports of a domestic dispute in progress inside one of the tents in Oppenheimer Park.
The weapons, which included nine guns, more than 30 knives, machetes and axes, were found in plain sight within a communal tent in the park.
A few days later on March 3, officers were called to the park after a man was allegedly assaulted in one of the tents. Police said the 32-year-old was hit in the face with the handle of an axe and sustained minor injuries.
While investigating the assault, officers located the axe believed to be used in the assault, as well as two additional axes, six knives and one bolt cutter, all inside the tent.
—With files from John Kurucz
