Kaiden Mintenko, 20, of Burnaby has been charged with second-degree murder in the Surrey stabbing death of 17-year-old Ethan Bespflug, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced Monday (April 17).
Ethan died in hospital after being stabbed April 11 while riding the Route 503 bus in the 9900-block of King George Boulevard. He was reportedly riding home from a friend91裸聊视频檚 house and had texted his mom that he was being threatened by 91裸聊视频渟ome kids91裸聊视频� and was scared.
Police said at a presser on Monday, at BC RCMP Headquarters in Green Timbers, that the stabbing was a targeted attack and not a random one. IHIT said the suspect and victim knew each other through a third party.
Mintenko is in custody. He was arrested at a residence in Burnaby on April 16. His next appearance in Surrey provincial court is set for May 8.
91裸聊视频淭he individual who was arrested does have an association to the deceased,91裸聊视频� Sgt. Tim Pierotti, of IHIT, said, adding the suspect is known to police. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e still working to determine exactly what the nature of the relationship is between them.91裸聊视频�
Ethan is Surrey91裸聊视频檚 fifth homicide victim so far this year.
91裸聊视频淚t does come as a shock to me,91裸聊视频� Ethan91裸聊视频檚 mom Holly Indridson said of the arrest and charge. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e never heard his name around, only just I guess the girlfriend91裸聊视频檚 name of the guy, the man that91裸聊视频檚 charged. There91裸聊视频檚 always been a little bit of a bullying situation I guess the man charged and the girlfriend, like the girlfriend would bully my son.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚 am quite in shock. I didn91裸聊视频檛 think, you know sometimes bullying you don91裸聊视频檛 think it91裸聊视频檚 going to take it so far as to murder.91裸聊视频�
She said she91裸聊视频檚 pleased the suspect remains in custody. 91裸聊视频淣o other family should have to through this pain,91裸聊视频� Indridson told the Now-Leader.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 glad that they worked on it so quickly, I91裸聊视频檓 so thankful for them, the detectives that were working on this. They were very sincere and sympathetic.91裸聊视频�
Indridson, 38, has joined a club nobody wants to belong to, as yet another parent who91裸聊视频檚 lost a beloved child to mindless violence in Surrey.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been through so many losses and this one, it91裸聊视频檚 crushed my will to live but I have to live, you know,91裸聊视频� she said.
Before the night he was killed, when he texted that he was scared and threatened by other passengers, Ethan had never complained about riding bus or SkyTrain.
91裸聊视频淗im and his friend would take the bus and SkyTrain, they91裸聊视频檇 take it downtown, they91裸聊视频檇 go to Brentwood Mall, they91裸聊视频檇 go to Metrotown, they utilized it so they could explore their surroundings and their world you know, as teenagers would. I don91裸聊视频檛 think at any time he felt unsafe and for this to happen on the bus91裸聊视频�,91裸聊视频� Indridson, an Abbotsford resident, trails off.
Authorities from Premier David Eby on down have expressed outrage at her son91裸聊视频檚 homicide and have promised enhanced police patrols on public transit in its wake.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 hoping that they can put more security,91裸聊视频� Indridson says of this. 91裸聊视频淲hen I was younger, there was a security guard or a transit police on the bus itself, when I was like 17.
91裸聊视频淚 thought there would be a lot more,91裸聊视频� she says.
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn vented about the crime during an unrelated presser in Surrey on Friday,
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 angry, we91裸聊视频檙e really angry, I91裸聊视频檓 very frustrated, I91裸聊视频檓 bothered by these events and as a parent of two transit-riding kids, every single day, I am concerned,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淲e will not allow criminals or those who want to commit crimes to come onto our system.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檒l say as a father, I will say I was particularly shocked regarding the fatal stabbing of a teenager aboard one of our buses and our sincere condolences are with that young man91裸聊视频檚 family,91裸聊视频� Quinn said.
91裸聊视频淥ur Transit Police have already stepped up patrols in crime hot spots and the forthcoming 24 community safety officers will allow police to further focus their efforts on criminal activity. We91裸聊视频檙e always looking for new ways to improve safety on transit and I want to emphasize that if anyone feels unsafe on our system they should immediately text Transit Police at any time at 87-7777.91裸聊视频�
Indridson says two GoFundMe campaigns will help her surviving children and help put Ethan to rest. By press time, one set up by her sister-in-law Andrea Van Der Gracht had already raised $23,895 and one by another aunt, Daphni Miller, had raised $23,370.
91裸聊视频淭he outpouring of support and just people that are messaging me that are just, I don91裸聊视频檛 know them, but other mothers that are messaging me, the family, the friends, people I haven91裸聊视频檛 talked to since high school, it91裸聊视频檚 just amazing how communities come together but I just wish it wasn91裸聊视频檛 under these circumstances,91裸聊视频� Indridson said. 91裸聊视频淚 can feel it and I know Ethan is smiling down because that it91裸聊视频檚 what he would want in this type of situation, for his family not to feel alone and feel love and support.91裸聊视频�
Her younger children 91裸聊视频渁re devastated.
91裸聊视频淢y kids were all very close, they got along well, there91裸聊视频檚 very large age gaps between some of them. They connected in such a way that to me it was magical watching them together and Ethan was the largest piece of the puzzle.91裸聊视频�
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, officer in charge of the Surrey RCMP, offered his condolences to Ethan91裸聊视频檚 friends and family.
91裸聊视频淎s being the parent of a teenager myself this is absolutely heartbreaking,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淎fter all these years of being a police officer I still struggle with the senselessness of certain crimes. This is one of those crimes.91裸聊视频�
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke at Monday night91裸聊视频檚 council meeting also conveyed her 91裸聊视频渄eepest condolences.
91裸聊视频淎s a mom, I cannot imagine the pain Ethan91裸聊视频檚 family is going through,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚n addition to an increased police and security presence on transit, we are looking to arrange sustainable and long-term solutions. I will be reaching out to the premier, solicitor general and minister of health to ask for additional resources in policing and to make better use of technology to deter these crimes and identify the perpetrators.91裸聊视频�
Meantime, Surrey RCMP said police have no reason to suspect Ethan91裸聊视频檚 stabbing was 91裸聊视频渋n any way connected91裸聊视频� to a man91裸聊视频檚 throat being slashed 91裸聊视频� also on a Route 503 bus 91裸聊视频� at Fraser Highway and 148 Street on April 1. That stabbing resulted in the suspect, Abdul Aziz Kawam, being charged with four terrorism-related offences, with Kawam accused of committing the crime on behalf of the Islamic State otherwise known as ISIS.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, in charge of the Surrey RCMP, on what police are doing about violence on public transit.
91裸聊视频� Tom Zytaruk (@tomzytaruk)
Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told reporters in Victoria there91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渁 number of things under way91裸聊视频� to crack down in violence on public transit.
91裸聊视频淥n Friday my director of police services met a number of times with the police agencies, the RCMP, Transit Police and other police agencies in the Lower Mainland in terms of identifying are there additional resources required, what actions are needed,91裸聊视频� Farnworth said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 my expectation to see an increased policing presence on our transit system.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭his is an issue that is plaguing transit systems across the country,91裸聊视频� Farnworth said.
Shirley Bond, of the British Columbia United Party (formerly BC Liberal Party), slammed the NDP government.
91裸聊视频淲ell, no amount of patting themselves on the back will bring comfort today to a family whose son was on a bus and didn91裸聊视频檛 get home,91裸聊视频� Bond said.
91裸聊视频淭his Premier needs to stand up and acknowledge that people in British Columbia today are tired of the empty words. What they want is a Premier that will acknowledge the fact that they are afraid to take a bus in British Columbia. Who can possibly imagine that?91裸聊视频�
On Saturday a 20-year-old man was stabbed at Surrey Central SkyTrain Station, making it the third stabbing on public transit in Surrey in three weeks. Transit Police Chief Officer Dave Jones said there are no 91裸聊视频渃ommonalities or linkages91裸聊视频� between any of these cases.
91裸聊视频淢y emphasis here is this is an anomaly, the number of events that have occurred of this type of nature on the transit system. It moves hundreds of thousands of people every day,91裸聊视频� Jones said. 91裸聊视频淭here was no commonality between all of the events that have occurred, the separate incidents that have occurred.91裸聊视频�
Const. Amanda Steed, spokeswoman for Metro Vancouver Transit Police, said uniformed officers assigned several units have been pulled from their regular duties have been assigned to buses and SkyTrain in Surrey. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e trying to saturate the system with a visible presence. We91裸聊视频檝e also taken our detectives who work in a crime-suppression team 91裸聊视频� they91裸聊视频檙e in a plainclothes capacity so you might not see them but they are there 91裸聊视频� we91裸聊视频檝e taken them from their day-to-day duties and put them in hot spots where we91裸聊视频檝e identified where people aren91裸聊视频檛 feeling safe,91裸聊视频� she told the Now-Leader.
As for two of the stabbings happening on a Route 503 bus, Steed said she doesn91裸聊视频檛 know if that91裸聊视频檚 a coincidence. 91裸聊视频淎ll of the stabbings that have occurred and slashings that have occurred they91裸聊视频檙e not connected in any way, there91裸聊视频檚 no evidence to suggest that they91裸聊视频檙e connected. But does that say that maybe the 503 is a route that we might need to look at a little but closer and perhaps improve our presence on that route? Absolutely.91裸聊视频�
What91裸聊视频檚 fueling this recent violence is a question for the age.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 understand what91裸聊视频檚 happening, this is so abnormal, this is not normal, and we looked at other provinces who are having issues like this, with violence and weapons, and we were always lucky that that wasn91裸聊视频檛 happening to us but now for some reason in the last couple of weeks the world has just lost it,91裸聊视频� Steed said.
Bigger, more complex issues are at play, she suggests, 91裸聊视频渘ot necessarily just a policing issue, where this violence is coming from.
91裸聊视频淲e have to ask ourselves, what has brought these people to this spot? Why are they in this position, why are they exhibiting more violence and using more weapons that they have in the past? And I think it has a lot to do with mental health, and the drug crisis, and social housing crisis. I also think COVID also had a huge impact, we were isolated for so long. People are struggling right now, people who are already on the edge of a mental health break, they91裸聊视频檝e completely gone over the edge, and even people who didn91裸聊视频檛 suffer from any type of mental health before, they91裸聊视频檙e struggling.
91裸聊视频淧eople are really on edge.91裸聊视频�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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