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Residents brandish garden tools to keep B&E suspect for police

Pitchfork gang nabs suspect

Nanaimo RCMP say a group of residents cornered a break-and-enter suspect in a carport by using garden tools to keep him from fleeing.

The Jan. 25 incident in nearby Cedar stemmed from police receiving several 911 calls regarding a report that a homeowner had come face-to-face with an intruder in his home.

The suspect suffered a head injury in a struggle with the homeowner and lost a significant amount of blood, but managed to flee, police said. A search with police dogs was unsuccessful.

That was followed three hours later by 911 calls about two kilometres away, made after a man with dried blood on him was alleged to have tried to break into a residence there. That’s where the residents made their stand and kept him in place until police arrived to make an arrest.

A 34-year-old man of no fixed address was taken to Nanaimo hospital, where he was treated and released before being transported to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment.

He was found to be the subject of four outstanding warrants from North Cowichan. No charges have yet been laid in connection with the two reported incidents in Cedar.

“We are pleased that the ­suspect was eventually located and that none of the homeowners were injured while trying to subdue him,” said Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien.



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