Vancouver man’s odd outfit catches police eye, ends in 46-month sentence

VANCOUVER — A man who was overdressed for August temperatures tipped off Vancouver officers to something suspicious and has led to a conviction.

Police say in a release that an officer noticed the man in the city’s downtown on Aug. 16, 2024, because he was “wearing clothing inconsistent with the hot weather” and was repeatedly checking his surrounding.

One of the officers followed the man on foot and as the suspect turned a corner out of the view, the pursuing officer heard gunshots.

The suspect was located and challenged at gunpoint until additional officers arrived to help to bring him into custody.

Police say 26-year-old Harmesh Raghbir Singh Sandhu from Vancouver pleaded guilty last December to possession of a loaded, restricted firearm and careless use of a firearm.

A court handed Sandhu a global sentence in September of 46 months in prison and imposed a 10-year weapons prohibition, a DNA order and a forfeiture order.

No one was hurt in the shooting and police spokesman Const. Darren Wong says the instincts of the officers led to an immediate arrest of an armed suspect to ultimately help secure the conviction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026.