A man who was wanted on an outstanding warrant from Newfoundland is facing a charge of assault with a weapon as a result of an incident in downtown Squamish this week.
The 39-year-old suspect was one of six people who were taken into police custody after the stabbing at the Squamish Budget Inn on Monday (Oct. 7), Squamish RCMP Sgt. Wayne Pride wrote in a statement.
Police had Victoria Street between Second and Third avenues blocked off while officers with their weapons drawn talked at least four people out of a guest room at the establishment just after 5:30 p.m.
The incident was first reported to police as a fight, Pride told The Chief by email. Afterward, one man was reported to have been chasing another, possibly with a weapon.
Members attending located a male with stab wounds and we received information that there may have been a suspect with a firearm in the hotel, Pride wrote.
All were taken into custody without incident, six arrested, the victim is OK and the suspect is in our custody. No firearms were located but we had to be careful.
As about a dozen people watched from the porch of a nearby business, police surrounded the room in which at least four people were holed up after the incident. Over a period of about 15 minutes, the four emerged one by one and were taken into custody by police, according to witnesses.
A woman who emerged from the room was not handcuffed before being led away, while the fourth person apparently the main suspect came out into the parking lot with officers' weapons trained on him. It appeared that he was handcuffed while on the ground before being taken away.
In a statement issued Tuesday (Oct. 8), Pride said two others involved in the incident were arrested in another room at the motel.
The victim, a 33-year-old man from Saskatchewan, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Squamish General Hospital and released. Four of the six who were arrested have been released while two were being held for further investigation, Pride said.
The alleged assailant, originally from Newfoundland but now of no fixed address in B.C., was wanted on an outstanding warrant on other matters and is being held pending his transfer to Newfoundland to face those charges, Pride said.
Police would like to extend their appreciation for the patience and cooperation the public showed during this incident, he said.
