Two Coquitlam men are facing charges along with four others in relation to what police are calling a violent kidnapping in Vancouver last November.
Jesse John Margison, 26, and Cody Alexander Sleigh, 25, both of Coquitlam, were each charged with one count of kidnapping with a firearm with the intent to cause harm, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm. They were arrested along with Troy McKinnon, Van Van Vu and Derek James Stephens of Vancouver, and John Ross Powers of Deroche.
Some of the men charged were under police surveillance as part of a months-long investigation of the group when the alleged kidnapping occurred. Sgt. Ghalib Bhayani, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), said police were surprised when they saw the suspects grab a man and attempt to pull him into a vehicle.
"As the kidnapping was occurring, police observed it," he said. "They were able to rescue the victim prior to him sustaining severe injuries. He took quite a beating but police were able to intervene."
The suspects who were arrested are believed to be aligned with the Independent Soldiers gang but Bhayani said police could not say to what degree.
Three search warrants were executed this past weekend following a lengthy investigation into the group, which police believe targeted people in order to kidnap them for financial gain.
During the course of the investigation, police say they found GPS devices attached to the victim's vehicle in what investigators believe was preparation of the kidnapping. Investigators also recovered several laptop computers that showed the victim had been tracked for nearly three months.
"It is interesting to see people in gangs using this to hunt down their victims," Bhayani said. "It is not new but it is still unusual. You can get these devices at Best Buy and other stores. It is a trend that is, I guess, new for us to see."
He added that 11 high-powered rifles and machine guns were also seized in the course of the investigation.
The kidnapping investigation involved several police forces throughout the Lower Mainland, including Coquitlam RCMP and Port Moody Police Department.
"Now more than ever it is important that there is a co-ordinated approach when targeting those responsible for gang violence," said Insp. Kevin Hackett of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. "It is common that target groups responsible for violence in one instance will then become the victims in other cases.
"Police agencies from the affected regions must come together and pool their resources to create a diverse level of skill and knowledge to ensure criminals are brought to justice."
Margison grew up in Port Coquitlam and has a long history of criminal activity. He was arrested and charged in a previous kidnapping and torture case, however the charges were thrown out when the victim refused to co-operate with prosecutors. The victim involved in the November kidnapping incident was not previously known to police and is co-operating with investigators, Bhayani said.
In 2009, Margison's then girlfriend, Brianna Kinnear, also a PoCo resident, was shot to death in Coquitlam while driving a friend's truck.
