One man is in police custody and another got away after an early morning “grow-rip” was waged on a medical marijuana grow-op in East Chilliwack.
Police were on-scene within four minutes after the medical grow in East Chilliwack was targeted in a home invasion at just after 3 a.m. Monday.
“All available police resources were deployed to the area,” said RCMP Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth.”
The exact location and street are being held back by investigators, she said, to protect the safety of the victim, who was not physically injured.
Two cars attempted to flee the scene as police arrived. A spike belt went down and took out one of the suspect vehicles.
Two men jumped out of the gray Acura. The driver, a 25-year-old resident of the Lower Mainland, was taken down by officers and arrested.
He now faces several charges.
The passenger took off, despite the efforts of police dog services, he remains at large.
“He tore one of the legs off his black sweat pants while fleeing,” said the officer. The 2005 Acura TL was seized and is awaiting forensic examination. Police found a box containing an undisclosed amount of dried marijuana in the car.
The other vehicle associated to this home invasion incident is a black, four-door sedan, possibly an Acura Integra.
“This vehicle attempted to ram police vehicles before it took off at a high rate of speed,” she said. “This vehicle was not pursued and has not been located and occupants have not yet been identified.”
The investigation has yet to determine how many marijuana plants the owner, a medical pot licensee, was growing, how many plants the licence permitted, and what exactly was taken from the outbuilding on the property which housed the grow.
The Chilliwack RCMP General Investigation Support Team have the reins of this ongoing investigation.
“In police experience, medicinal marijuana grow ops have the same ramifications to public safety as illegal grow ops do,” said Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth. “These grow ops have been, and continue to be, targets of attacks, often involving violence.”
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
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