Police have confirmed that a man arrested this morning after a standoff that began last night in Chilliwack is Ty Burgess, who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant after an incident in which he allegedly rammed a police car in Abbotsford.
Burgess was wanted on a parole violation and on charges of obstruction, dangerous driving, fleeing the scene of an accident and failing to stop for police.
Police surrounded a home on Woodbine Street in Chilliwack starting at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday, and Burgess was arrested between 2 and 3 a.m., said Const. Ian MacDonald.
Burgess, 33, had been on the lam since the incident in Abbotsford on July 19, when officers went to a home in the 1800 block of Dahl Crescent with the intention of arresting him for the parole violation.
They say that as police were on their way to the residence, Burgess was in a vehicle heading in the opposite direction.
They turned on their emergency lights to stop him, but instead he sped past them, sideswiping their vehicle, they say.
Police were not able to apprehend him, and two days later, they released his photo and said he was still wanted.
On Aug. 10, the Abbotsford Police Department announced that charges had been laid against Burgess in relation to the incident on July 19.
Burgess has an extensive criminal record. His current parole follows a jail term related to his role in the 2012 robbery of Ben Moss Jewellers in Richmond Centre.
In that incident, two men entered the mall and smashed the display cases at the store. Once outside the mall, one of the suspects, who was carrying a gun, was unsuccessful in his attempt to carjack a vehicle.
When the man tried to commandeer a second vehicle, he was apprehended by bystanders. A scuffle ensued, and the suspect fired a shot, but nobody was injured.
Burgess was sentenced in 2015 to a six-year jail term for his involvement in the robbery. Shane Buckner of Mission was sentenced to 10 years, and four others were also sentenced for being parties to the robbery.
In 2010, Burgess was sentenced to a prison term of more than two years for using bear spray on a 65-year-old Chilliwack homeowner during a botched home invasion.
Burgess was in the man’s basement when the homeowner returned to his residence. Burgess bear-sprayed him and fled toward his idling car.
After following Burgess and trying to prevent him from leaving, the homeowner was bear-sprayed again.
Burgess escaped, but the homeowner was able to jot down a description and licence plate of the vehicle, which turned out to be stolen.
The homeowner suffered a heart attack because of the incident, but recovered and later testified in court.
Two days after the home invasion, Burgess was arrested in Coquitlam for an offence in Abbotsford.
According to the provincial court database, Burgess also has prior convictions for possession of stolen property, break and enter, theft, assault, driving while prohibited and breaching his probation.
– with files from the Chilliwack Progress
