Cherry Cr. incident sent mine into lockdown

NEWS/ POLICE — New Afton Mine was thrust into lockdown mode Thursday morning (today) as police pursued suspects on foot after a possible armed robbery at a Cherry Creek residence.

Kamloops rural RCMP responded shortly after 7 a.m. and all four suspects were taken into custody, but police don’t yet have any details on the events leading up to the arrests.

Cpl. Cheryl Bush said the four males are from the Lower Mainland. Police will be interviewing the suspects and the complainants today to learn more.

“We’re just in the preliminary stages of looking into who these individuals are,” Bush said. Their names have not been released and it’s not known whether they have ties to organized crime.

Staff Sgt. Mike Savage said a total of 22 officers were involved in the half-hour incident. A helicopter, police dog unit and emergency response team members were used as well.

The suspects were heading to Kamloops but abandoned their vehicle at the mine just east of Cherry Creek to evade police. One suspect was apprehended on the roadside while officers chased the other three into a mine pit.

“Police were in contact with the mine throughout the incident,” Bush said. The lockdown is a mine procedure designed to safeguard employees.

A search of the vehicle turned up six long guns and ammunition, all of it believed stolen from the Cherry Creek residence. Police don’t yet know whether the firearms are registered.

It’s also not known whether the vehicle, a silver four-door sedan, was stolen. No one at the residence was harmed. Mine officials could not be reached for comment.

EARLIER STORY — Four suspects are in custody after RCMP responded to Cherry Creek today (Thursday) to a possible armed robbery in progress.

The suspects were reported to be carrying handguns.

Cpl. Cheryl bush said the call came about 7 a.m. “Police responded to the Cherry Creek area just as the suspects fled in a vehicle and started back towards Kamloops.”

She said the men abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot near the New Gold mine, where one suspect was taken into custody.  Police continued the search with the aid of a helicopter and took the other three into custody as well.

Several firearms were found in the trunk of the vehicle, Bush said.