Violent Crime In Surrey Rose 43 Percent In First Quarter Of 2019, Report RCMP!

Surrey is truly going to the Dogs as violent crime is way up and gangsters and killers are roaming the streets of Surrey creating havoc as they did this last weekend in a neighbourhood in the heart of the Indo-Canadian community. A surveillance camera mounted at a nearby home captured a group of men chasing each other down the street, jumping in and out of cars, and brandishing some kind of weapon. “It looks like a Hollywood [movie],” said Mohinder Shergill, a neighbour who’d seen the video. “It was really crazy.”

By R. Paul Dhillon

With News Files

SURREY – Surrey is truly going to the Dogs as violent crime is way up and gangsters and killers are roaming the streets of Surrey creating havoc as they did this last weekend in a neighbourhood in the heart of the Indo-Canadian community.

Police are investigating a violent car chase and brawl that broke out between two groups of Indo-Canadian men on a Surrey cul-de-sac Saturday which left three people in hospital.

The violence erupted in the area of 135A Street and 88A Avenue, on a street full of families, and involved at least a dozen people and five vehicles.

A surveillance camera mounted at a nearby home captured a group of men chasing each other down the street, jumping in and out of cars, and brandishing some kind of weapon.

At one point, a man can be seen getting hit by a car and flying through the air. He appears to tumble and stagger away out of the view of the camera, reported CTV News.

“It looks like a Hollywood [movie],” said Mohinder Shergill, a neighbour who’d seen the video. “It was really crazy.”

Other neighbours called the violence upsetting, but not that surprising.

“You probably won’t find people that are shocked here, unfortunately,” Brenda Cherry said. “You just have to hope that no one innocent gets hurt.”

Surrey RCMP said officers were dispatched to the area after receiving multiple 911 reports of “vehicles driving dangerously and people fighting in the street” at around 7:45 p.m.

They arrived to find three men hurt, two with minor injuries and one in serious condition. A Nissan Maxima and Ford Taurus were also at the scene, and officers seized them for their investigation.

The cause of the chaotic brawl hasn’t been determined, but authorities said it might be gang-related.

“Police believe the parties involved in this occurrence are known to each other and this may be linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict,” Surrey RCMP said in a news release. It isn’t clear if the violence is fueled by the drug trade or something else.

Police say they’re looking for three other vehicles, including a red Dodge Caravan, a black Volkswagen Jetta and a burgundy Honda Accord.

Cpl. Elenore Sturko said no one has been arrested in connection with the brawl, and that it’s too early to call the men who were found injured at the scene suspects. She called the behaviour “shocking” and the incident “very concerning” for police.

“It’s a good thing we don’t see things like this very often,” she said. “We’re taking it very seriously, and asking anyone with information to give us a call.”

Cherry told CTV News it wasn’t the first time she’d seen violence on her street.

“People go: oh, you should move,” she said. “Well, where? Where’s safe?”

“I’m not feeling safe with my kids on these streets anymore,” her neighbour Shergill added.

Surrey RCMP reported that the city has seen 43 per cent increase in violent crime in first quarter 2019. In the first quarter of 2019, total criminal code offences increased by 4% in Surrey. A substantial increase in violent crime (43%) was recorded with notable increases in robberies, sexual offences and assaults, that can be at least partially attributed to the UCR changes. Twenty-seven percent of assaults involved intimate partner violence.

The city experienced nine shots fired incidents in Q1 (compared with 12 in Q1 2018). Although we have seen a steady decline in shots fired files over the past four years, it continues to be the Surrey RCMP’s top priority. Those involved in the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict and drug trafficking are being strategically targeted with arrests and drug seizures executed in the first quarter of 2019.

“Sextortions” are on the rise with 17 reports in Q1. This form of sexual exploitation employs non-physical forms of coercion to extort money or sexual acts from a victim (ex. threats to share explicit photos that have been shared over a dating application). Gropings also continue to be an issue, making up 24% of sexual offences. In total, 68% of sexual offences in Q1 involved an offender who was known to the victim.

Property crime continued its four-year downward trend with a 9% decrease. The most significant decreases were seen in residential break and enters (-19%), theft from vehicle (-23%), and theft of vehicle (-19%).

Break and enters to garages continue to be a trend, with entry often gained with a garage door opener that was left in a vehicle or through an open garage door. Theft of vehicle and theft from vehicle decreased in all Districts. In addition to the hard work of our Auto Crime Target Team, our volunteers are also helping to combat auto theft with their recovery of 25 stolen vehicles so far this year.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.