EDITOR’S NOTE, AUG. 9, 2022: Charges against Jason Baringh were later stayed in court.
The brother of a young man who was the victim of a gang-related murder in 2014 is among three teens who have been charged after allegedly making death threats and being found with a loaded assault rifle in their vehicle.
Jason Baringh, 18, was arrested and charged April 28 along with Karanjit Mann, 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Jason is the brother of Harwin Baringh, who was shot and killed in October 2014 at the age of 18 while he was in his vehicle on Sparrow Drive in west Abbotsford. No charges have yet been laid in the murder.
Police have said they believe the killing is linked to the Townline Hill conflict, in which two groups of young men have been battling for drug turf in west Abbotsford.
Abbotsford Police Department (APD) Const. Ian MacDonald said police believe the incident involving Jason Baringh and Mann is also connected to the conflict.
MacDonald said police received a 911 call at about 10:20 p.m. on April 28 from a residence in central Abbotsford. The caller reported that he had received a threat that someone was going to come over and shoot him and his family.
APD patrol division officers immediately went toward the caller’s home and stopped two vehicles that were attempting to leave the area.
Five males were detained, and a search of one of the vehicles resulted in the location and seizure of a loaded 9 mm assault rifle and magazine.
Three of the five males were subsequently charged.
Baringh and Mann have been charged with uttering threats and occupying a vehicle in which there is a firearm. The 17-year-old faces a weapons charge.
Both Baringh and Mann have been released on court-ordered conditions that prohibit them from possessing weapons and consuming alcohol or controlled substances.
They are also prohibited from being inside a boundary of Downes Road to the north, Maclure Road to the south, Mt. Lehman Road to the west and Townline Road to the east.
Police are asking that anyone who sees Baringh or Mann in breach of these conditions call 911 immediately.
Anyone with information about the Townline Hill conflict should call the APD tip line at 604-864-4777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.