Police can be seen surrounding the Rogers Way Travelodge before bringing at least one man into custody.
Image Credit: TIKTOK/Hailey
March 11, 2024 - 2:25 PM
Three men were arrested after heavily-armed RCMP officers surrounded a Kamloops hotel on Sunday.
What led police to the Aberdeen-area Travelodge isn't clear, but officers from the RCMP Emergency Response Team could be seen finding cover and pointing rifles toward the hotel, according to a video posted to social media.
The incident was on Saturday, March 9, at the Rogers Way hotel where was an "explosion" before police showed up, according to text added to the video.
BC's anti-gang unit said officers were there to execute a search warrant, seizing firearms and making arrests in the process. A news release from the BC Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit did not address the purported explosion, but did say they called in the heavily-armed team
The Emergency Response Team and Kamloops RCMP assisted with the search because of an "imminent risk to public safety," according to the special enforcement unit news release.
While stationed outside, an officer can be heard speaking to a suspect with a loud speaker. Exactly what was said isn't clear, aside from demands to come out and warnings that the hotel is surrounded.
A bald Caucasian man is then seen escorted by two officers toward an unmarked police SUV. His hands are bound and he is searched before they instruct him to sit on the pavement.
He was one of two people arrested at the scene. One of the men was also wearing body armour, according to the special enforcement unit news release.
Police then seized "multiple" loaded handguns and ammunition from inside the hotel. They also recovered a stolen vehicle with "gasoline canisters" inside it.
“Anytime we can take firearms out of the hands of those who might be willing to use them for criminal acts means that communities are safer," the special enforcement unit's Staff Sgt. Lindsey Haughton said in the release.
Speaking to iNFOnews.ca, he said it was part of a wider investigation. He would not say what spurred the investigation or how long it has been ongoing. He also would not say where the three men at the hotel were from except that they are not from Kamloops.
The explosion-like sound heard by witnesses, he said, was likely a flashbang used to distract suspects during a "high-risk" search.
A Travelodge employee, who did not provide her name, said police "did not disclose" information to hotel staff about the incident, adding that a manager was not available to comment.
The original poster of the social media video did not respond to a request for comment from iNFOnews.ca.
— This story was updated at 2:25 p.m., March 11, 2024, with new information from the BC Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
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