Burnaby RCMP has arrested four Lower Mainland residents who attempted to extort a Burnaby resident.
On March 7, 2017, the victim, a 50-year-old man from Burnaby, was approached by four males in a parking garage in the 4400-block of Lougheed Hwy. The victim and the suspects were unknown to each other however this was a targeted incident.
The victim immediately reported the incident to the Burnaby RCMP and a large scale investigation was undertaken by the Burnaby RCMP Serious Crime Unit.
On March 11, 2017, four Lower Mainland residents were arrested with the assistance of the RCMP Emergency Response Team. Charged is Xiao He, 56 of Vancouver, Keith Chen, 28 of Vancouver, Darren Johnson, 43 of Vancouver and Timothy Thurston, 42 of Surrey. All four men are facing a charge of extortion and will appear next on April 13, 2017 in Vancouver Provincial Court.
The Police take such threats to families in our community seriously, says Chief Superintendent Stephan Drolet, the Officer in charge of Burnaby Detachment. This was deemed a priority investigation. Our Serious Crime Unit led a large scale operation involving several officers. The intended victim and his family are safe and unharmed.