Police in New Westminster say they recovered a loaded handgun, drugs and “thousands of dollars in counterfeit currency” while investigating a call about a stabbing earlier this week. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. Wednesday in the vicinity of New Westminster SkyTrain Station, the New Westminster Police Department said in a news release Friday. Police received a 911 call from someone who said a woman had been “slashed with a knife,” and described two suspects seen fleeing the area. Officers arrived to find the woman suffering from a “laceration.” She was taken to hospital by paramedics, police said. “At this stage in the investigation, it is unclear what relationship, if any, exists between the victim and the suspect,” the NWPD release reads. Responding officers located two men matching the suspect descriptions on Columbia Street “within minutes,” according to the release. When police called out to the men, they split up and ran in different directions, the NWPD said, adding that officers engaged in two foot pursuits and were able to take the men into custody. One of the suspects was found to be in possession of the loaded gun, drugs and fake cash. Police did not name either suspect in the case, but online court records associated with the file number show one man has been charged. Brayden Ritchat, born in 2006, is charged with one count of possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition. He is listed as not in custody, and no upcoming court date is shown in the provincial Court Services Online system. The charge was laid Friday, according to CSO. “We’d like to thank the caller who made the decision to call 911,” said Sgt. Andrew Leaver, in the release. “Anyone can make the choice to be an active bystander and help victims of crime by relaying important information about what you’re seeing to police.”
