A man was kicked and punched by two strangers while walking in downtown Maple Ridge Wednesday night.
The man was on 122nd Avenue, near 222nd Street, when he was approached by a pair of men around 10:30 p.m.
Ridge Meadows RCMP Insp. Derren Lench said one of the men, without provocation, punched the victim, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
A second man then kicked him before both suspects fled towards Dewdney Trunk Road on 222nd St.
Police patrolled the area, but were unable to locate the men.
The men were dressed in black clothing, with the first wearing a black skeleton mask.
• Anyone with any information is asked to call RCMP at 604-463-6251. To remain anonymous call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477. CrimeStoppers will pay a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Alarmed
Ridge Meadows RCMP are crediting a security alarm for scaring off thieves who tried to break into a house on Wednesday.
The alarm was triggered around noon at a house on Silver Valley Road after a window was forced open.
Senior home safe
Ridge Meadows RCMP helped an 83-year-old woman get home safely on Wednesday.
Police received a call about the disoriented senior around 10:45 a.m. after she told a passer-by she did not know where she was.
Police were able to glean enough information from the woman to locate her home, which was not far away from where she was found on Dewdney Trunk Road.
Break-in
Cash was stolen from a register during a break-in early Wednesday at a business in Maple Ridge.
Police were called about the theft at Lougheed Nails just before 2:30 a.m.
Thieves entered the business by tampering with the front door lock.
Punch drunk
A 40-year-old man was arrested by police early Wednesday after he punched a Mountie while drunk.
Ridge Meadows RCMP were called to a house on 224th Street just after 1 a.m. by the home owner, who requested officers remove the man from the home.
Insp. Derren Lench said the man was intoxicated.
“As police were trying to wake the man up, he punched one of the officers in the face,” he added.
The man was forcibly taken into custody.
He was held until he sobered up and released with a court date set for February.
Violation
A 28-year-old man was arrested by police Tuesday after he was found violating a probation order.
Police were called about the man around 11:30 p.m. after he was seen prowling in the 24900-block of Dewdney Trunk Road.
When officers found the man, he was intoxicated, said Insp. Derren Lench.
A check of police records showed the man had a probation order that prohibits him from drinking alcohol.
The man was arrested and held for a court appearance on Wednesday.
Dynamite find
Sticks of dynamite found at a house in Maple Ridge were destroyed by police on Tuesday.
A man renovating the property on Hunter Place called Ridge Meadows RCMP around 8:20 a.m. after he discovered the dynamite, blasting caps, and detonating cord.
The property belonged to his father.
Insp. Derren Lench said the explosives disposal unit carefully took possession of the items and took them to a remote location, where they were blown up.
The Maple Ridge Fire Department remained on scene while the dynamite was safely removed.
TV thief
A man who stole a television from a Pitt Meadows mall on Monday was arrested by police.
Ridge Meadows RCMP allege the 39-year-old Maple Ridge resident took the TV from Superstore in Meadowtown centre around 5:30 p.m. He was seen getting into a pickup truck, which left the parking lot.
The truck managed to elude a witness who was following it, but a police officer spotted the truck a short while later in the 12100-block of Edge Street in Maple Ridge.
The truck was stopped and the man was arrested. He was released from custody but will be back in court in April.