Police say three “Middle Eastern-looking men” were seen taking detailed pictures and 360-degree videos focused on the various entrances and exits inside the Pacific Centre mall, with a specific focus on the Dunsmuir Street entrance.
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“There is no information to believe that these men have committed a crime”, reads the release.
Because the story leaked out on social media last night, the VPD is now compelling to comment on it.
Fincham described the men only as “Middle Eastern looking” and did not release any other identifying information. “The issue is we weren’t planning on going public with it at all and this is something that has become public because the media obtained the information and is asking us about it now”.
The VPD alert with images was beamed out by the Real Time Intelligence Centre in Surrey to all police forces across B.C. – 10,000 officers plus civilian employees would have had access.
Meantime, Pacific Centre has released a statement about what happened at the mall. “The bottom line is we just don’t know”. Mall security tried locating them but were unsuccessful.
Police confirmed the investigation after local website Vancity Buzz reported on the incident Thursday, posting surveillance footage showing three men who are seen holding smartphones and taking photos while walking through the mall. “I’m not saying that at some point we wouldn’t have gone to the public, but we weren’t at that stage yet”. They could be contractors that could have been taking them for legitimate reasons.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vancouver Police Department at 604-717-3235. “We just want to talk to them”.
