METH INGREDIENTS SHUT DOWN PARKING LOT

Port Moody Police have a message for residents: The police station is not
the place to dispose of hazardous materials.

The parking lot in front of the station was shut down for several hours
Sunday evening, after a woman put some suspicious chemicals she had found
in her basement into the trunk of her car and - with her three-year-old
daughter in tow - drove to the St. John's St. location.

Const. Phil Reid said police believe the chemicals were the remains of a
meth lab.

"There were renters in the basement at the time the house was bought," he
said, adding that it took the new owners a few months to evict the tenants.

"So she goes down to search out the basement, to see what's down there, and
sure enough, she finds a couple of vials of an unknown liquid substance."

Reid said because police "knew the previous owner of the home and, of
course, his association to the criminal element," they erred on the side of
caution when the new homeowner brought the chemicals in.

The city's fire department, as well as a hazardous materials team, were
called, and a company that disposes of dangerous chemicals took the
materials away, so Reid isn't sure what exactly the vials contained.

"But we're fairly certain that it's a precursor to making
methamphetamines," he said, adding that if the materials weren't contained,
they could have posed a danger not just to the woman and her daughter, but
to other motorists and bystanders, in the event of an accident.

"Taking it out into the open is what we don't condone and by all means,
give us a call. We don't mind coming for something like that," he said.

Semi-Automatic Stashed

A single-vehicle accident in Port Moody early Monday morning resulted in
the seizure of a semi-automatic weapon.

At about 3:30 a.m., police received several 911 calls from witnesses who
said they saw a blue 1993 Mazda RX-7 leave the road at Noons Creek Drive
and Alexander Bay.

Const. Phil Reid said witnesses also reported seeing a suspect put
something into the bushes, and the department's K9 unit was called in.

"The suspect put something into the bushes, we don't know what it is, we
get there pretty quick, we search the bushes and find a semi-automatic
firearm, so we detain the suspects - we look in the vehicle and sure
enough, we find a loaded magazine clip."

Reid said the gun and clip have been sent to forensics to determine whether
they're compatible.

Two suspects, who Reid said are known to police, were arrested at the
scene. One is a 24-year-old Coquitlam man and the other is a 23-year-old
Port Coquitlam man. Both are facing weapons charges.

Armed robbery at Caesars

Coquitlam RCMP are looking for two men in connection with an armed robbery
at a Little Caesars Pizza outlet Friday night.

Police received a call of an armed robbery in progress at the restaurant,
located at 220-1175 Johnson St. in Coquitlam, around 11:30 p.m.

Two suspects entered the business and one, carrying what appeared to be a
handgun, demanded money and that employees open the safe, police say. Once
the suspects had obtained the money they left via the back door, travelling
eastbound on foot down Glen Drive.

Both suspects are described as Asians in their mid-20s.