Two of the four suspects who violently robbed a Lower Mainland car dealership on Tuesday (Nov. 22) remain at large, and police don’t yet have any description of who they are or what they look like.
Numerous police agencies were called in Tuesday after an armed robbery that started in Port Coquitlam led to shootouts and police chases across the region.
The chaos began at about 3:40 p.m. when Coquitlam RCMP said that officers were called to a dealership near Lougheed Highway and Dominion Avenue for a reported robbery. When they arrived, officers found four masked and armed people attempting to take off with a vehicle.
The two groups exchanged gunfire before the suspects fled in the stolen car.
Providing an update Wednesday, Coquitlam RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Alexa Hodgins said numerous people at the dealership were injured, but no one was hit by bullets. They don’t yet know whether the two at-large suspects were injured.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: 2 suspects at large, 2 others arrested in Lower Mainland dealership robbery
The police chase soon sent dozens of officers speeding down Highway 1, until they caught up with the suspects when they crashed near the King Edward overpass, just south of an IKEA store. Witness video from the scene then shows at least one person dressed all in black running on the highway as shots are heard ringing out.
Hodgins said police managed to nab one of the four suspects at the scene, but a second one carjacked a nearby vehicle, setting off another car chase.
“The (carjack) victim suffered minor injuries before the suspect fled to Surrey, where they were later located and arrested,” Hodgins said.
Coquitlam RCMP Insp. Darren Carr said both of the arrested suspects are known to police and charges against them are pending. Since all the suspects were masked, however, Carr said they don’t yet have any kind of description of the two who remain at large.
“They were part of a collective, highly violent event. Certainly, we’re concerned that they’re out in the community.”
Carr said anyone who comes across the two should call 911 immediately.
As of midday Wednesday, the right-hand lane of Highway 1 westbound near the King Edward overpass remained closed as police continued to search the area for evidence. On Tuesday, drivers and SkyTrain commuters were held up for hours while the police chases ensued.
Anyone with information or video from any of Tuesday’s crime scenes is asked to contact Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550.
@janeskrypnek
jane.skrypnek@blackpress.ca
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