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Coquitlam man facing assault charges after RCMP emergency response teams needed in arrest

A woman is in hospital with serious injuries as police were called to an assault in New Westminster.
Man arrested - Getty Images
Man in handcuffs. | Getty Images

Charges are on the table for a Coquitlam man who was seen assaulting a woman early this morning (Jan. 25).

The 25-year-old suspect remains in custody after he was arrested with the help of RCMP's emergency response (ERT) and Integrated Police Dog Services teams.

Before 2 a.m. today, New Westminster police (NWPD) witnessed a man assaulting a woman after they were called to the incident near a home in the 800-block of Surrey Street

When they arrived, the suspect ran into the house and locked the doors. The woman was treated for serious injuries in Royal Columbian Hospital and is in stable condition.

The man refused to exit the residence despite police efforts to negotiate his surrender, which led to reinforcement calls to the Lower Mainland District ERT and dog service unit.

"After the deployment of diversionary devices and less lethal chemical agents, the suspect was located inside the residence and was taken into custody," explained NWPD Sgt. Sanjay Kumar in a news release.

"We’re still in the early stages of this investigation and are attempting to determine how the victim and the suspect are known to each other and what lead to the assault."

Aggravated assault charges are being recommended by NWPD against the Coquitlam resident.

No other information has been released as of this publication.

Police are thanking neighbours in the area for cooperating with the investigation.