A man arrested last week after police allegedly found a loaded semi-automatic "assault-style" rifle poking out from under his mattress has been released into a Surrey drug treatment facility.
Burnaby RCMP were called to an apartment in the 5200 block of Capitol Drive at 9:04 p.m. on March 24 for a domestic disturbance, according to alleged facts presented at a Vancouver provincial court bail hearing Friday.
(Since this was a bail hearing, these facts have not been proven in court.)
A resident at the apartment building said she had seen a man grab a woman who was screaming for help.
At the scene, officers heard a disturbance at one of the units and knocked, telling the residents police needed to check on the well being of everyone inside.
“They could hear an angry male voice say, ‘F*** off, you f***ing pigs,’” Crown prosecutor Karen Haughton said.
The officers breached the door a few minutes later and subdued a man inside who allegedly tried to run away, according to Haughton.
During a clearing search of the apartment, police allegedly spotted the butt of a rifle sticking out from under the mattress of a bed.
It turned out to be an SKS "assault-style" rifle with a high-capacity magazine attached and 18 rounds of ammunition inside, according to Haughton.
One round was allegedly located in the handle of the gun, the action locked back in the open position “ready to chamber a round for firing,” Haughton said.
When asked why he had the weapon, the suspect said he believed there were people in B.C. who wanted him dead, according to Haughton.
“He wouldn’t explain any further about that,” she said.
The suspect also allegedly told police he suffered from a mental health condition that caused him to be bipolar.
A woman found at the scene said she and the suspect had had an argument but nothing "physical" had occurred, according to Haughton.
On March 28, Anthony Isaac Vipond, 28, was charged with five different weapons offences in relation to the incident.
At his bail hearing, Haughton argued he should stay in custody pending his trial, saying there would be a “continuing danger to the general public” otherwise.
She noted Vipond had had 98 “interactions” with law enforcement, had been arrested and charged several times and was facing serious charges.
She added that police are concerned because Vipond is potentially involved with dangerous people in the community
“They also observed that the apartment unit was in a wood-frame building,” Haughton said. “In the event he should ever discharge his rifle, the bullets would go through the building, as the walls were built with drywall. The police say that puts everybody inside the building at risk.”
Haughton said the Crown is also concerned for public safety because Vipond may be suffering from a mental health disorder that makes him paranoid.
But articling student Samantha Purton, who represented Vipond at the hearing, said that concern could be managed if he was released into a Surrey recovery program.
Purton said the facility offers “basically 24 hour supervision.”
She said Vipond is on medication to manage his mental health disorder and has recently come to terms with the idea he has a substance use problem.
“This is a really big step for Mr. Vipond,” she said.
Purton acknowledged Vipond had a criminal record – including a firearms ban that had only just recently expired – but said it was “quite dated” and he hadn’t done any jail time.
B.C. provincial court Judge Gregory Rideout ultimately agreed to release Vipond into the recovery program on a $500 release order.
Under the order, he must live at the recovery facility and is banned from using drugs or alcohol and from possessing any weapons.
Vipond also consented to psychological assessment and treatment as part of the order.
“You’re walking on thin ice, so don’t blow this, do you understand that?” Rideout told Vipond.
“Don’t worry, I will not,” Vipond said.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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