Transit police apprehend suspect involved in Lower Mainland gang activity

Transit police say they’ve apprehended an alleged gang member and he’s now facing multiple charges.

Sgt. Clint Hampton announced the arrest of 23-year-old Luis Manuel Baez on social media Wednesday (May 19).

Baez was reportedly stopped by officers Tuesday at 3:40 p.m. in the parking lot of Metrotown mall in Burnaby.

The suspect was “openly smoking marijuana in a location contrary to the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act,” according to officers.

A short time after Baez was approached by police, he took off running into the driver’s seat of a nearby parked car.

After a brief struggle between him and officers, Baez was rendered unable to start the vehicle.

Officers saw him remove a handgun from his waistband and discard it under a parked car, Hampton said. The weapon was a loaded, semi-automatic .45-calibre handgun.

“We are happy to have taken another firearm off the streets and out of the hands of an alleged gang member,” he added.

Baez has been charged with one count of obstruction and multiple firearms offences.

The date of his court appearance has not yet been set.

#MVTPMediaRelease Metro Vancouver Transit Police arrested a man with alleged gang affiliation who was in possession of a loaded firearm in a busy Burnaby shopping mall. @cfseubc @CFSEU_GIET #EndGangLife https://t.co/XKHDnMN6X6 pic.twitter.com/EIj6zQvJii

— Sgt. Clint Hampton (@SgtCHampton) May 19, 2021