Police dog, less-lethal weapon used in downtown Vancouver taxi arrest

Shots were fired Thursday night as heavily armed police and police dogs surrounded a black cab at West Georgia Street and Seymour Street

Police officers were seen firing a less-lethal weapon and using a police dog against a person in a taxi in downtown Vancouver Thursday night.

Witnesses told CTV News a man had barricaded himself inside the cab.

Heavily armed officers and a canine unit could be seen surrounding the Black Top Cab at the intersection of Seymour and West Georgia streets around 9 p.m.

Several shots could be heard as officers shouted for the vehicle’s occupant to get out and surrender.

The suspect slowly exited the vehicle and was partially dragged out by a police dog.

The Vancouver Police Department posted a lengthy statement about the incident on social media Friday morning.

“Officers from our Emergency Response Team and K9 Unit were deployed downtown last night to arrest a suspect armed with a gun and wanted Canada-wide for parole violations,” the post begins, adding that the incident began when a witness flagged down a VPD officer who was patrolling in the area around 7 p.m.

The witness claimed to have seen a man with a gun entering a residential building near Seymour and Nelson streets.

More than 25 officers responded to search for the suspect, according to the VPD.

The department said the man was located “in a taxi with a number of other people” around 9 p.m.

“He refused to surrender and did not comply with direction from the officers,” the post reads. “A police dog and an ARWEN gun – which fires hard, rubber less-lethal bullets – were deployed during the arrest.”

Police said the 30-year-old suspect was arrested on a Canada-wide warrant and remained in custody Friday. They did not share his name, saying new gun and breach of probation charges against him have not yet been laid.

BC Emergency Health Services told CTV News it dispatched one ambulance with primary-care paramedics to the scene. Those paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to one patient, who they then brought to hospital.

BCEHS did not share the patient’s condition.

West Georgia Street was closed in both directions between Granville and Richards streets during the incident.