Kaiden Mintenko, 20, of Burnaby has been charged with second-degree murder in the Surrey stabbing death of 17-year-old Ethan Bespflug, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced Monday (April 17).
Ethan died in hospital after being stabbed April 11 while riding the Route 503 bus in the 9900-block of King George Boulevard. He was reportedly riding home from a friend乌鸦传媒檚 house and had texted his mom that he was being threatened by 乌鸦传媒渟ome kids乌鸦传媒� and was scared.
Police said at a presser on Monday, at BC RCMP Headquarters in Green Timbers, that the stabbing was a targeted attack and not a random one. IHIT said the suspect and victim knew each other through a third party.
Mintenko is in custody. He was arrested at a residence in Burnaby on April 16. His next appearance in Surrey provincial court is set for May 8.
乌鸦传媒淭he individual who was arrested does have an association to the deceased,乌鸦传媒� Sgt. Tim Pierotti, of IHIT, said, adding the suspect is known to police. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e still working to determine exactly what the nature of the relationship is between them.乌鸦传媒�
Ethan is Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 fifth homicide victim so far this year.
乌鸦传媒淚t does come as a shock to me,乌鸦传媒� Ethan乌鸦传媒檚 mom Holly Indridson said of the arrest and charge. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e never heard his name around, only just I guess the girlfriend乌鸦传媒檚 name of the guy, the man that乌鸦传媒檚 charged. There乌鸦传媒檚 always been a little bit of a bullying situation I guess the man charged and the girlfriend, like the girlfriend would bully my son.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚 am quite in shock. I didn乌鸦传媒檛 think, you know sometimes bullying you don乌鸦传媒檛 think it乌鸦传媒檚 going to take it so far as to murder.乌鸦传媒�
She said she乌鸦传媒檚 pleased the suspect remains in custody. 乌鸦传媒淣o other family should have to through this pain,乌鸦传媒� Indridson told the Now-Leader.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 glad that they worked on it so quickly, I乌鸦传媒檓 so thankful for them, the detectives that were working on this. They were very sincere and sympathetic.乌鸦传媒�
Indridson, 38, has joined a club nobody wants to belong to, as yet another parent who乌鸦传媒檚 lost a beloved child to mindless violence in Surrey.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e been through so many losses and this one, it乌鸦传媒檚 crushed my will to live but I have to live, you know,乌鸦传媒� she said.
Before the night he was killed, when he texted that he was scared and threatened by other passengers, Ethan had never complained about riding bus or SkyTrain.
乌鸦传媒淗im and his friend would take the bus and SkyTrain, they乌鸦传媒檇 take it downtown, they乌鸦传媒檇 go to Brentwood Mall, they乌鸦传媒檇 go to Metrotown, they utilized it so they could explore their surroundings and their world you know, as teenagers would. I don乌鸦传媒檛 think at any time he felt unsafe and for this to happen on the bus乌鸦传媒�,乌鸦传媒� Indridson, an Abbotsford resident, trails off.
Authorities from Premier David Eby on down have expressed outrage at her son乌鸦传媒檚 homicide and have promised enhanced police patrols on public transit in its wake.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 hoping that they can put more security,乌鸦传媒� Indridson says of this. 乌鸦传媒淲hen I was younger, there was a security guard or a transit police on the bus itself, when I was like 17.
乌鸦传媒淚 thought there would be a lot more,乌鸦传媒� she says.
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn vented about the crime during an unrelated presser in Surrey on Friday,
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 angry, we乌鸦传媒檙e really angry, I乌鸦传媒檓 very frustrated, I乌鸦传媒檓 bothered by these events and as a parent of two transit-riding kids, every single day, I am concerned,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲e will not allow criminals or those who want to commit crimes to come onto our system.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檒l say as a father, I will say I was particularly shocked regarding the fatal stabbing of a teenager aboard one of our buses and our sincere condolences are with that young man乌鸦传媒檚 family,乌鸦传媒� Quinn said.
乌鸦传媒淥ur Transit Police have already stepped up patrols in crime hot spots and the forthcoming 24 community safety officers will allow police to further focus their efforts on criminal activity. We乌鸦传媒檙e always looking for new ways to improve safety on transit and I want to emphasize that if anyone feels unsafe on our system they should immediately text Transit Police at any time at 87-7777.乌鸦传媒�
Indridson says two GoFundMe campaigns will help her surviving children and help put Ethan to rest. By press time, one set up by her sister-in-law Andrea Van Der Gracht had already raised $23,895 and one by another aunt, Daphni Miller, had raised $23,370.
乌鸦传媒淭he outpouring of support and just people that are messaging me that are just, I don乌鸦传媒檛 know them, but other mothers that are messaging me, the family, the friends, people I haven乌鸦传媒檛 talked to since high school, it乌鸦传媒檚 just amazing how communities come together but I just wish it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 under these circumstances,乌鸦传媒� Indridson said. 乌鸦传媒淚 can feel it and I know Ethan is smiling down because that it乌鸦传媒檚 what he would want in this type of situation, for his family not to feel alone and feel love and support.乌鸦传媒�
Her younger children 乌鸦传媒渁re devastated.
乌鸦传媒淢y kids were all very close, they got along well, there乌鸦传媒檚 very large age gaps between some of them. They connected in such a way that to me it was magical watching them together and Ethan was the largest piece of the puzzle.乌鸦传媒�
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, officer in charge of the Surrey RCMP, offered his condolences to Ethan乌鸦传媒檚 friends and family.
乌鸦传媒淎s being the parent of a teenager myself this is absolutely heartbreaking,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淎fter all these years of being a police officer I still struggle with the senselessness of certain crimes. This is one of those crimes.乌鸦传媒�
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke at Monday night乌鸦传媒檚 council meeting also conveyed her 乌鸦传媒渄eepest condolences.
乌鸦传媒淎s a mom, I cannot imagine the pain Ethan乌鸦传媒檚 family is going through,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚n addition to an increased police and security presence on transit, we are looking to arrange sustainable and long-term solutions. I will be reaching out to the premier, solicitor general and minister of health to ask for additional resources in policing and to make better use of technology to deter these crimes and identify the perpetrators.乌鸦传媒�
Meantime, Surrey RCMP said police have no reason to suspect Ethan乌鸦传媒檚 stabbing was 乌鸦传媒渋n any way connected乌鸦传媒� to a man乌鸦传媒檚 throat being slashed 乌鸦传媒� also on a Route 503 bus 乌鸦传媒� at Fraser Highway and 148 Street on April 1. That stabbing resulted in the suspect, Abdul Aziz Kawam, being charged with four terrorism-related offences, with Kawam accused of committing the crime on behalf of the Islamic State otherwise known as ISIS.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, in charge of the Surrey RCMP, on what police are doing about violence on public transit.
乌鸦传媒� Tom Zytaruk (@tomzytaruk)
Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth told reporters in Victoria there乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渁 number of things under way乌鸦传媒� to crack down in violence on public transit.
乌鸦传媒淥n Friday my director of police services met a number of times with the police agencies, the RCMP, Transit Police and other police agencies in the Lower Mainland in terms of identifying are there additional resources required, what actions are needed,乌鸦传媒� Farnworth said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 my expectation to see an increased policing presence on our transit system.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭his is an issue that is plaguing transit systems across the country,乌鸦传媒� Farnworth said.
Shirley Bond, of the British Columbia United Party (formerly BC Liberal Party), slammed the NDP government.
乌鸦传媒淲ell, no amount of patting themselves on the back will bring comfort today to a family whose son was on a bus and didn乌鸦传媒檛 get home,乌鸦传媒� Bond said.
乌鸦传媒淭his Premier needs to stand up and acknowledge that people in British Columbia today are tired of the empty words. What they want is a Premier that will acknowledge the fact that they are afraid to take a bus in British Columbia. Who can possibly imagine that?乌鸦传媒�
On Saturday a 20-year-old man was stabbed at Surrey Central SkyTrain Station, making it the third stabbing on public transit in Surrey in three weeks. Transit Police Chief Officer Dave Jones said there are no 乌鸦传媒渃ommonalities or linkages乌鸦传媒� between any of these cases.
乌鸦传媒淢y emphasis here is this is an anomaly, the number of events that have occurred of this type of nature on the transit system. It moves hundreds of thousands of people every day,乌鸦传媒� Jones said. 乌鸦传媒淭here was no commonality between all of the events that have occurred, the separate incidents that have occurred.乌鸦传媒�
Const. Amanda Steed, spokeswoman for Metro Vancouver Transit Police, said uniformed officers assigned several units have been pulled from their regular duties have been assigned to buses and SkyTrain in Surrey. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e trying to saturate the system with a visible presence. We乌鸦传媒檝e also taken our detectives who work in a crime-suppression team 乌鸦传媒� they乌鸦传媒檙e in a plainclothes capacity so you might not see them but they are there 乌鸦传媒� we乌鸦传媒檝e taken them from their day-to-day duties and put them in hot spots where we乌鸦传媒檝e identified where people aren乌鸦传媒檛 feeling safe,乌鸦传媒� she told the Now-Leader.
As for two of the stabbings happening on a Route 503 bus, Steed said she doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know if that乌鸦传媒檚 a coincidence. 乌鸦传媒淎ll of the stabbings that have occurred and slashings that have occurred they乌鸦传媒檙e not connected in any way, there乌鸦传媒檚 no evidence to suggest that they乌鸦传媒檙e connected. But does that say that maybe the 503 is a route that we might need to look at a little but closer and perhaps improve our presence on that route? Absolutely.乌鸦传媒�
What乌鸦传媒檚 fueling this recent violence is a question for the age.
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 understand what乌鸦传媒檚 happening, this is so abnormal, this is not normal, and we looked at other provinces who are having issues like this, with violence and weapons, and we were always lucky that that wasn乌鸦传媒檛 happening to us but now for some reason in the last couple of weeks the world has just lost it,乌鸦传媒� Steed said.
Bigger, more complex issues are at play, she suggests, 乌鸦传媒渘ot necessarily just a policing issue, where this violence is coming from.
乌鸦传媒淲e have to ask ourselves, what has brought these people to this spot? Why are they in this position, why are they exhibiting more violence and using more weapons that they have in the past? And I think it has a lot to do with mental health, and the drug crisis, and social housing crisis. I also think COVID also had a huge impact, we were isolated for so long. People are struggling right now, people who are already on the edge of a mental health break, they乌鸦传媒檝e completely gone over the edge, and even people who didn乌鸦传媒檛 suffer from any type of mental health before, they乌鸦传媒檙e struggling.
乌鸦传媒淧eople are really on edge.乌鸦传媒�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on and follow Tom on
