The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) arrested three men this afternoon in relation to the ongoing gang conflict in the Townline Hill area of west Abbotsford.
The arrests took place after 2 p.m. Two of the men were taken into custody in the parking lot of Highstreet shopping centre on Mt. Lehman Road, and the third man was arrested at a home in the 30600 block of Curlew Drive.
Const. Paul Walker said the arrests are associated with the home on Curlew and a second home in the 3500 block of Summit Drive.
He said the APD’s gang and drug units, as well as the emergency response team, executed drug search warrants at the two homes this afternoon.
Charges have not yet been laid, and the names of the men have not yet been released.
Walker said he expects to release more details tomorrow, including what was found in the homes as a result of the search warrants.
Police have previously identified that two gangs have been battling for drug turf in the Townline Hill area for more than a year.
The battle has included several drive-by shootings, as well as the killing on Sept. 2 of innocent man Ping Shu Ao, 74, who was struck by a stray bullet intended for his next-door neighbour on Promontory Court.
There have been no shootings in the area since Ao’s death, but Police Chief Bob Rich previously said the violence will resume if police don’t find a way to intervene.