Surrey anti-extortion police arrest 2 foreign nationals after early morning shooting

A Surrey Police Service vehicle is seen outside the department's headquarters. (CTV News)

Two men have been arrested and immigration officials have been notified after a shooting in Surrey early Monday morning.

The arrests were made by officers assigned to Project Assurance, the Surrey Police Service team that “proactively patrols neighbourhoods and business areas targeted by extortions,” the SPS said in a news release Tuesday.

The two men—20-year-old Harshdeep Singh and 21-year-old Hanspreet Singh—have each been charged with one count of occupying a vehicle knowing a firearm is present. Harshdeep has also been charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, police said.

“The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming,” the SPS release reads.

Police said both men are foreign nationals, and added that the SPS “has engaged Canada Border Services Agency” on the case.

The pair is being held in custody until Jan. 30, police said. Online court records indicate they’re scheduled for a bail hearing in Surrey provincial court on that date.

The charges stem from what police called “an alleged shots fired incident” that occurred around 3:50 a.m. Monday near 129 Street and 84 Avenue.

Officers with Project Assurance and the SPS Major Crime Section were in the area and “heard what they believed was a gunshot,” police said, adding that the officers quickly located and stopped a suspect vehicle.

Police took the driver and a passenger into custody and located a loaded handgun inside the vehicle, the SPS said.

While it was an anti-extortion team that arrested the suspects, the SPS did not explicitly link shooting to the ongoing extortion crisis that has been plaguing the South Asian community in Surrey and across the Lower Mainland.

Police are asking anyone who has information about the shooting—including surveillance or dash-cam video—to call them at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 26-8529 (SP).