B.C.’s anti-gang police agency says it is taking all steps necessary to ensure there is no retaliatory violence after the unprecedented murders of two Hells Angels from the same chapter in less than nine months.
Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said Monday that her agency is working closely with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and Surrey RCMP to gather intelligence in the aftermath of Friday’s murder of Suminder “Ali” Grewal, a full-patch member of the HA’s Hardside chapter.
“What our officers are doing is collaborating as much as they can with all the different agencies involved and trying to gather all the intelligence they can and make sure they can do their best to mitigate against any violence that may come about as a result of this,” Winpenny said, adding that “public safety is the No. 1 priority.”
Two young Alberta men charged with Grewal’s first-degree murder, Calvin Junior Powery-Hooker, 20, and Nathan James De Jong, 21, will appear in Surrey Provincial Court Tuesday morning.
They were caught by CFSEU’s uniformed gang enforcement team after allegedly fleeing the south Surrey neighbourhood where Grewal was gunned down about 9:20 a.m. Friday as he ordered from a Starbucks drive-thru.
Investigators are looking at any connections the two accused men have in Alberta and B.C. and probing the possibility that they may have been hired hitmen.
Winpenny said learning who else might be involved is key to heading off further violence.
“Without having that solid understanding of where it is coming from, it is hard to predict what’s going to be coming next,” she said.
Postmedia has learned that Grewal was a regular at the Starbucks where he was shot to death.
His murder comes months after his close friend and fellow Hardside gang-mate Chad Wilson was found murdered under the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge. Wilson’s murder remains unsolved.
“This is something that is somewhat unprecedented to have two fairly high-ranking members of a Hells Angels chapter murdered within a year of each other,” Winpenny said.
The murders of full-patch members of the once-feared biker club reinforce the message no one is safe if they choose a gang lifestyle, Winpenny said.
Earlier this year, CFSEU launched a social media campaign to educate the public about the criminal links of outlaw motorcycle gangs, including the Hells Angels.
“We are collaborating with other police agencies in Canada to ensure that the public is aware and educated about the risk these outlaw motorcycle gangs and other organized crime groups — not just the Hells Angels — pose to the public and what is involved in being associated to these groups,” Winpenny said.
“We have said it time and time again — that the risks associated will likely result in either being arrested and going to jail or getting killed. And we have seen this now twice with just one chapter of Hells Angels.”
Grewal, 43, appeared to be struggling financially over the last few years, according to a number of lawsuits filed against him in B.C. courts.
In January 2019, three individuals and a non-profit organization filed a suit against him in B.C. Supreme Court, alleging that he was in default on a mortgage of $860,000 provided to him a year earlier on two Maple Ridge properties.
In Sept. 2016, CIBC filed a suit against Grewal, alleging he had not paid credit card and line of credit debt totalling about $22,000.
And several small claims suits were also filed against Grewal for unpaid bills totalling about $40,000 for building supplies, flooring and roofing installation.
Source: Vancouver Sun