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Two men charged after Mission shooting led to takedown in Coquitlam

Two men have been charged in connection with Tuesday's drive-by shooting in Mission that ended with a dramatic takedown in Coquitlam.
David Avenue takedown
A man is searched on David Avenue in Coquitlam after police stopped a vehicle believed to have fled the scene of a drive-by shooting in Mission on Tuesday. Three men were arrested; two have been charged with attempted murder and forcible confinement.

Two men have been charged in connection with Tuesday's drive-by shooting in Mission that ended with a dramatic takedown in Coquitlam.

Joseph Ross Raso, 33, and Thomas Zdravko Strenja, 37, remain in police custody and were expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon to face charges of attempted murder and forcible confinement. A third man was released from custody with no charges.

The incident began shortly after 1 p.m. on Jan. 10, when Mission RCMP responded to a shooting on Dewdney Trunk Road and found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound.

While investigating the shooting, they learned another woman was being held against her will at a home in the Tri-Cities.

A number of police units responded to track down the suspect vehicle reportedly used to flee the scene.

The vehicle was located in Coquitlam, at which point the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team and the Coquitlam RCMP conducted a takedown on David Avenue, near Oxford Street.

During the takedown, two men were arrested and taken into custody.

Coquitlam RCMP also initiated a hold-and-secure at Birchland and Cedar Drive elementary schools in Port Coquitlam, citing a nearby police incident that was not posing a direct threat but could potentially pose a threat if staff or students should get too close.

Meanwhile, social media posts indicated ERT members were entering a home near Prairie Avenue and Glade Court, located within two blocks of both the schools. Neither Coquitlam nor Mission RCMP would confirm that officers were there to retrieve the woman who was being held against her will.

The address where the woman was located was the home of the third man who was arrested.

The woman who was shot in Mission is being treated in hospital with non-life threatening injuries and her condition is stable.

Police continue to maintain control of the Mission and Tri-Cities properties for further investigation.

spayne@tricitynews.com
@spayneTC