Seizure of snake, weapons makes for unforgettable call for Vancouver police

VANCOUVER – Police have seized a boa constrictor and multiple weapons after responding to a 911 call about a fight at a tent city in Vancouver.

Const. Tania Visintin says officers found the snake in a tent at Oppenheimer park after a report about a man using a machete in the fight.

Visintin says every call in policing is different but officers will never forget this one.

She says by the time police arrived the suspects involved in the fight had dispersed but witnesses directed officers to a tent.

Visintin says it contained multiple weapons in plain sight including a loaded shotgun, a crossbow, knives, three machetes, two axes, a baton, two wooden clubs with nails and a baseball bat.

One suspect is in custody in connection with the fight and staff from the city's animal services department have taken possession of the snake.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2020.