Richmond RCMP’s Quick Response Team (QRT) was called upon again recently, on the spot to arrest a suspected burglar on a ladder.
The team’s undercover officers sprung into action on Dec. 1, shortly after 3 p.m. in the Spires Gate and Cooney Road area of the city centre, as it conducted operations as part of an enhanced detachment wide safety initiative.
While carrying out their duties, the attention of the officers was drawn towards a male acting suspiciously.
“The suspect was allegedly knocking on doors from home to home,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“Not just front doors, but he would allegedly try knocking on the back doors as well. When the suspect started doubling back to other houses he had already been to, alarm bells went off.
“Some might say, to quote an iconic superhero, their spider sense was tingling. Officers then observed the male allegedly using a ladder to climb up to a second floor window of one of the homes.”
The suspect was promptly surrounded, added Hwang, and arrested upon him descending from the ladder.
“We would suggest that he was very surprised to see us,” said Hwang.
As a result of the arrest, Daniel Joshua Balas, 23, of Richmond, has been charged with one count of break and enter. Balas is well-known to police.
“We were able to recover a number of stolen items,” added Hwang.
“While their monetary value was not extensive, their sentimental value was priceless.
The homeowner is a woman in her 60s. We recovered jewellery that had been passed down from generation to generation. Each of those pieces had its own story and set of memories.
“You cannot put a price tag on items like that. It is our honour to return them to their rightful owner.”
