A man wanted Canada-wide on warrants related to guns was arrested by Vancouver's version of a SWAT team this weekend.
Aaron Scott Hastie, 39, was located in an East Vancouver building near the intersection of Clark Drive and Powell Street on Feb. 25.
Vancouver Police Department officers (VPD) were unaware of his whereabouts until they arrived at the building to investigate a reported assault; in the course of this investigation, they learned Hastie was inside.
Once police knew Hastie, who was wanted Canada-wide on four warrants, was hiding inside, the officers called in the VPD's negotiators and emergency response team (ERT).
"Negotiators worked alongside the ERT for more than five hours, before the suspect eventually surrendered," states the VPD. "He was taken into custody and was returned to jail."
Hastie had multiple warrants out for his arrest stemming from a Downtown Eastside incident in June 2021, according to the VPD, when a man with a gun was arrested. The warrants include unauthorized possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm.
He has a history in the court system dating back to 2001 when he was charged with theft over $5,000. Since 2006, he's been convicted in Metro Vancouver several times including for robbery, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and resisting arrest.
