Incident ends after 12 hours
John French
[email protected]
Residents of Wilson Crescent were evacuated from their homes Wednesday (June 22) when a house on the south side of the street was surrounded by RCMP emergency response teams.
The teams were called on Wednesday after a gun was allegedly pointed at a bailiff serving a Supreme Court ordered writ of possession, better known as a court ordered eviction.
Steen Larsen, his wife and their five children occupied the property in question.
Larsen and the owner of the property, Dwayne Engelsman, were embroiled in a dispute.
Sgt. Colin Worth reported the RCMP was asked to stand by to keep the peace while the court bailiffs did their work. At about 10 a.m. Worth said Larsen pulled out a rifle and pointed it at a bailiff then aimed at a member of the RCMP.
To ensure the safety of the neighbourhood, Worth said ERT assistance was requested.
"He feels he hasn't been heard by the courts," Worth said when asked what was motivating Larsen.
ERT members were flown to 樱桃视频Terminals and driven up Hwy. 99. The ERT included a negotiator who spoke with Larsen on and off throughout the day.
At various times during the 13-hour standoff, Larsen made contact with news outlets and individual reporters.
Dave Lefebvre from City TV got a call. Lefebvre said Larsen's firearm accidentally discharged while Larsen was talking to the City TV news desk.
Patricia Wilson, Larsen's wife, reported one of the children brushed by her husband, the rifle was bumped and the firearm discharged a bullet into a wall. Nobody was hurt.
Larsen also contacted The Chief at 1:23 p.m. He said the actions being taken against him were premature because as of the day before he was still negotiating his departure from the property.
Wilson participated in the call and she said she felt threatened by the police presence outside her house.
After a full day of negotiations, Larsen walked out of the house at 10:25 p.m.
Worth said Larsen was taken into custody without incident to spend the night in the jail cells in 樱桃视频for a court appearance the next day.
Wilson came out of the house with the five children at 10:50 p.m. and they were taken to a local hotel.
In a conversation with The Chief the following morning, Wilson said she didn't know where her family would live because they had no place to go.
Engelsman indicated they wouldn't be returning to the home on Wilson Crescent.
"It is a police crime scene and after that the house will be turned over to the bailiffs," Engelsman said.
The situation Wednesday was the climax of a dispute that started earlier this year when Engelsman served Larsen with an eviction notice.
In conversations with The Chief long before the incident, Larsen indicated he intended to put the older home he occupied onto a trailer and move the house to a location somewhere on the shores of Howe Sound. He had assorted equipment on the site to help achieve that goal.
"I've been hearing that for a year," Engelsman told The Chief.
The dispute between the two was complicated further when the District of 樱桃视频ordered Engelsman to remove the unsightly items on the property.
Wilson said the most recent hearing on June 10 resulted in a judge ruling in favour of Engelsman.
Wilson said her husband was working to move from the property by June 30.
Wilson said she and her husband understood they had until June 30 before they faced final eviction so they were surprised to see the bailiffs.
Engelsman said he didn't indicate they could stay until June 30.
Wilson also confirmed that B.C. Hydro stopped supplying power to the home because the electricity bills were not being paid. The family was generating electricity by using a large generator at the back of the house.
The people who live around the subject home who had no place to go were put up in a hotel. Worth said between 12 and 14 homes were evacuated to ensure the occupants of the homes were kept at a safe distance.
