Man charged after cache of guns prompts police to evacuate B.C. hotel

Police say four “assault-style” rifles and one loaded handgun were recovered from the Richmond, B.C., hotel. (Handout)

Prosecutors in British Columbia have approved more than a dozen charges against a man after a weapons complaint forced the evacuation of a Metro Vancouver hotel last year.

Court records show Arshdeep Singh Bassi, born in 2003, is facing a total of 14 counts of five separate offences, including possession of prohibited firearms and possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

A statement Wednesday from the local RCMP identified Bassi as the suspect in the April 24, 2024, incident, in which four “assault-style” rifles and one loaded handgun were recovered from a Richmond hotel.

Mounties were called to the hotel in the 3000 block of St. Edwards Drive at approximately 8:45 a.m.

The hotel was cleared of occupants until shortly after noon, when the suspect was arrested with the assistance of the heavily armed Integrated Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team.

A subsequent search of the suspect’s hotel room turned up the arsenal of weapons, as well as 800 grams of suspected drugs and more than $2,000 cash, according to investigators.

“I commend the co-ordinated efforts of all officers and support personnel involved in this investigation,” Chief Supt. Dave Chauhan of the Richmond RCMP said in the statement.

“From the first responding front-line officers to the specialized teams who conducted the arrest and subsequent investigation, their professionalism and diligence ensured public safety during a high-risk incident.”

Bassi remains in police custody pending a scheduled appearance in Richmond provincial court Friday.