Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
It was guns that police went looking for on the weekend with a pair of raids at two city homes.
On Wednesday, police released a few more details about the Saturday raids and why its Tactical Response Unit was involved.
One raid in particular drew the attention of east-end residents when tactical officers used so-called flash-bang stun grenades.
Brandon Police Service Const. Tanis Basaraba said the raids were part of an ongoing investigation into firearms offences, and it was believed the homes may contain illegal firearms.
“We just had information that these particular residences may have in fact had firearms in them, so we just want to get those off the street,” Basaraba said.
Police raided the two homes on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. — one at a south-end mobile home park on the 1900-block of David Avenue, the other on the 1000-block of Rosser Avenue East.
It’s not clear whether they had anything to do with a July 3 break-in at Jo-Brook Firearms in which burglars made off with 14 semi-automatic handguns.
Regardless, no guns were found in either of the homes searched by police, even though Basaraba said the information police had received was believed to be reliable.
A man and woman were detained in relation to the south-end raid, but they were released without charges. It was determined that they weren’t involved in the matter police were investigating.
Five adults were found at the east end home. All were taken into custody but only one man, a 31-year-old resident, was charged.
He was charged with two offences unrelated to the investigation that led to the raid, which was specifically intended to search for firearms.
The man is charged with breach of recognizance and possession of cocaine. He remains in custody pending his next court appearance on Monday. He was already pending on a previous charge of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, a matter that’s currently in Court of Queen’s Bench.
The tactical team was used at both homes due to the possibility that guns were inside, Basaraba said. Flash-bang grenades were used to help officers enter the east end home because the occupants had failed to obey commands and told police they weren’t going to come out, Basaraba said.
With a report that guns may be inside, there was a concern that the occupants may arm themselves and barricade themselves inside.
Meanwhile, Basaraba said the investigation continues and police will keep searching for weapons within the city.
Police haven’t said whether their investigation is connected to any gang. In a photo posted on Facebook, one of the men taken into custody during the east-end raid can be seen wearing a hoodie that supports the Hells Angels.
The Hells Angels recently beefed up its ties to Brandon with the establishment of a support club, The Soldiers of Sin.
However, at this point there’s no evidence to prove whether the man is actually a member of either gang, or whether the raids specifically targeted either group.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition August 16, 2012
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It was guns that police went looking for on the weekend with a pair of raids at two city homes.
On Wednesday, police released a few more details about the Saturday raids and why its Tactical Response Unit was involved.
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It was guns that police went looking for on the weekend with a pair of raids at two city homes.
On Wednesday, police released a few more details about the Saturday raids and why its Tactical Response Unit was involved.
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