18-year-old was snatched from his downtown Vancouver apartment last Sunday
An 18-year-old Chinese student, who was kidnapped on the weekend, was rescued in a dramatic takedown early Thursday morning, according to Vancouver police.
“[Police] executed numerous takedowns on multiple vehicles and the hostage was rescued uninjured,” said Deputy Chief Doug Lepard in a news release. “Reports of shots fired in the area were the result of ‘flash-bang’ grenades being used during the rescue by Emergency Response Team members, which give off a loud noise.”
The Chinese student was kidnapped from his home on Feb. 15. Police say they were notified by one of his family members, who lives in China, after they received a phone-call demand for ransom.
Officers then put their “kidnapping protocol” in motion, initiating emergency wiretaps, 24-hour surveillance, and other techniques police declined to disclose. During the course of their investigation, police say they identified several Burnaby homes they believed were connected to the kidnapping.
No one was injured in the takedown, and police say five suspects are currently in their custody. They say more arrests may be made and several search warrants will be executed.