SURREY, B.C. — Two men have been arrested and charged for attacks on more than a dozen people linked, sometimes in the most tenuous way, to the institute that trains British Columbia's police officers and first responders.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Hackett, with B.C.'s anti-gang agency, says the investigation began in 2011 and expanded to include 15 victims by 2014 linked to the B.C. Justice Institute in New Westminster.
Investigators with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit say some of the victims may have been selected because they parked at the institute where police officers are trained, and the suspects may have mistakenly believed they were part of the law enforcement community.
Officers believe the victims were tracked when their licence plates were accessed through an Insurance Corp. of B.C. computer.
Police say 40-year-old Vincent Cheung of Langley, B.C., who has alleged connections with the United Nations gang, faces numerous firearms and arson charges, while 54-year-old Thurman Taffe is accused of a single count of arson.
Both men were arrested Friday and appeared in court this morning before being held in custody until their next court date in Vancouver on Oct. 1.
