5 charged after vehicle theft, firearms reports in Fort St. John, B.C.

Gavin Davis is seen in this image shared by Fort St. John RCMP.

Five people arrested in northern B.C. earlier this week have been charged, Fort St. John RCMP announced Friday.

Among them is Gavin Davis, who has a lengthy criminal history and was wanted on outstanding warrants.

Davis has been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000, robbery, assault causing bodily harm, breach of release order and uttering threats. He remains in custody and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on March 6 in Williams Lake.

Also facing charges are Jack Capot Blanc, Shianne Etzerza, Barbara Reno and Jakob Sherwood.

All four have been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000. Capot Blanc has also been charged with pointing a firearm at a person. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court in Williams Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Etzerza, Reno and Sherwood have all been released from custody. They are scheduled to appear in court in Fort St. John on Monday, Feb. 24.

The charges stem from an incident that took place Wednesday.

Fort St. John RCMP said they received a report that morning about a pickup truck that had been stolen from a residential driveway in the 9800 block of 112 Avenue.

That evening, police received two further reports about the stolen truck, one at 7:40 p.m. and the other around 8:55 p.m.

The callers reported that the stolen vehicle had been located by civilians and was “stuck in the area of 277 Road near Montney, B.C.”

“Numerous suspects were reported to be with the stolen pickup along with other vehicles,” police said in a news release Thursday.

“Reports also included that the multiple suspects had pointed firearms at the civilians who had located them.”

Fort St. John RCMP front-line officers attended and “contained” the area, and the heavily armed North District Emergency Response Team was called in to assist.

All five of the individuals facing charges were arrested in the vicinity, police said, adding that three vehicles were seized, including the stolen truck from the initial report.

“The Fort St. John RCMP did an outstanding job responding to this high-risk incident involving armed suspects,” said Jamie Moffat, acting officer in charge of the detachment, in Thursday’s release.

“Their swift actions and containment of the area ensured the safety of civilians at the scene and led to the arrest of five individuals without incident. Though this event was safely resolved it is a reminder that if you witness suspicious activity, please call the police rather than confront the suspects yourself, as public safety is paramount to the Fort St. John RCMP.”