Suspect dies after police shooting at Westview Mall in North Vancouver

A man who held a McDonald's employee hostage at knifepoint died in hospital after being shot by police at Westview Shopping Centre. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has been deployed.

Suspect fatally shot after hostage-taking and vehicle theft spree at North Vancouver mall

A man who took a McDonald's employee hostage at knifepoint at the Westview Shopping Centre in North Vancouver on Tuesday has died from his injuries, BC RCMP confirmed in an update issued at 8 p.m.

According to Global News Crime, RCMP officers arrived at the mall on Westview Drive around 1:30 p.m. after reports of a serious incident. The suspect was transported to a local hospital following the police-involved shooting, where he later succumbed to his wounds.

Witness Arman Abadi told Global News he was waiting in line at the McDonald's when he saw the man move behind the counter toward an employee.

"He pulls out a knife and takes one of the employees hostage," Abadi said. "Most people run out of the restaurant. I wait inside, trying to see what's going on."

Abadi said he intervened when the suspect moved toward the front of the restaurant with his back turned.

"I grab his hands. I wrestle with him, get the knife away from him, throw it under a table and I start fighting him. I pin him against the wall, one guy helps me."

When Abadi attempted to hold the man, the suspect claimed he had a second knife. "I'm like, if you have another knife, I'm not going to let you go," Abadi said. He eventually released the man, who then fled the restaurant toward the parking lot.

The suspect attempted to steal a truck but was unable to start it. Abadi followed him outside, at which point the man produced a yellow box cutter. The suspect then rolled the truck down the parking lot, struck another vehicle, and ran to a nearby gas station where he tried to steal a second car.

Bahman Afshari, owner of the Westview Freshslice pizza outlet, witnessed the scene from outside his store after hearing yelling and screaming.

"I see the guy sitting in the pickup truck over there, the van, and they have a knife in his hand, try to hit the people who would get close to them," Afshari said.

He described the man making multiple failed attempts to flee in different vehicles before police arrived. "There is one cop's car coming, he's beside him, he jumps in the cop's car, tries to get away from him, and he gets shot, with a rubber bullet," Afshari said.

Afshari said police responded within minutes of the first call and described the scene as chaotic. "It was terrible; it was like a movie action, you know. Everything you see on the movie, you see the life in front of your eyes."

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. confirmed to Global News Crime that it has been deployed to the scene, as is standard procedure when an officer-involved shooting occurs. The Westview Shopping Centre plaza remains closed while the investigation continues, and the public is being asked to avoid the area until further notice.

Source: Global News Crime